Finally Together
by nicedonenothing3
Summary: Things were never easy. Ever since this revolution started, all they wished for was peace. All they could dream about was peace. But with their relationships, and enemies abroad...all they could do was to dream the impossible. 'Makorra, Bosami'
1. Confessions

**I really appreciate you reading it :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ATLA, LOK, ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.**

**This story takes place after the episode "The Spirit of Competition, and The winner is..."**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

* * *

Asami was lying in bed, thinking. She had seen Korra kiss Mako because she happened to be looking out the window as it took place. She pretended that she didn't see anything to prevent Mako from a broken heart. But Korra had been very nice to her, and Asami knew that Korra liked Mako. In fact, on the match before the finals, Asami was about to walk through the door when Korra confessed her feelings for Mako.

She pretended to just come into the room, and smiled at Korra. But Korra didn't look as pleased. Seconds later, Bolin asked Korra out on a date, and she agreed to go.

* * *

**Asami's POV:**

I stayed his girlfriend through the Championship Tournament for their pro-bending team. I figured that if I broke up with Mako before the tournament, he wouldn't want to play. But I'm not sure if any of the teams won because Amon destroyed the arena, and the Wolfbats had cheated. I couldn't wait any longer. Whenever Mako passes Korra, he acts pretty strange. But from what I know, he likes her too. I also knew that if it wasn't for me, they would be a couple by now.

I took the ferry to the pro-bending arena when the sun came up. The bright rays greeted me a good morning. I walked up to the attic, where Mako and Bolin lived. They were allowed to stay for a couple more days, but the police stated that it wasn't safe to continue in the arena's condition. In the air, was the scent of food sizzling. Mako was cooking, and greeted me as I came in. "Hey, Asami. What are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, it's just that-"

I cut him off, "Mako, I need to talk to you in private," He lifted an eyebrow. "Please."

I sometimes made this weird pleading face when I wanted something. With the pouting of my lips, it worked this time.

He asked, "Um, okay. What's this all about? Did Bolin mess something up?"

I laughed, "No, but Bolin's pretty sweet when you come to think of it," then I frowned.

"Asami, what's the matter?" he asked as he caressed my cheek.

I lifted his hand off, "Mako, I know what happened a few nights ago."

"What? When Amon came? Everybody witnessed that."

"No, I mean when you kissed Korra."

Mako stared at me, astonished. I remembered how Bolin saw it too, and he ran away crying that same night. Poor Bolin. He seriously doesn't deserve to go through stuff like that. He's so nice and talented.

I continued, "Don't try to argue. I've seen it with my own eyes. I know that you and Korra should be together."

Mako replied, "Huh? Korra? Please. I uh..."

"You _do_ like her. And I like you, but you guys just-match. It's complicated, but you'll figure it out. You've both been hiding your feelings for each other until Korra confessed and then kissed you. You kissed her back, and that means something."

He was almost speechless. "But I know Bolin likes Korra! I can't hurt him like that! It's just wrong!"

"It matters if Bolin likes Korra, but it also matters if Korra likes Bolin, but she doesn't feel the same way. Korra loves Bolin, but like a brother. You also have that brotherly love for Bolin, but you and Korra love each other. Stop hiding your emotions. I want you to tell her." I smiled willingly.

"But I'm your boyfriend! Are you sure about making a decision like this?"

"Of course I'm sure. Bolin would understand sooner or later. He gets attention for a lot of ladies. It can't be so hard." '_He also caught my attention,' _I thought.

"Now get your silly little Mako-self onto Air Temple Island, and tell her how you feel!" I called out after I tossed him his jacket.

* * *

** Korra's POV:**

I was having a peaceful nap when I hear Ikki yell, "Hey, Korra! That handsome firebender guy is here to see you!"

Gosh. What if he heard that? I tripped on my sheets as I got up, and raced to my door, trying my best to look casual. "Oh, hey Mako. What's up?"

"Hey, Korra." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Remember what happened outside the arena before the tournament?"

I shook my head. I was standing outside the arena when Mako started to ask me questions and we argued. We kept on arguing until...oh.

"Um, yeah...that," I responded, feeling pretty awkward.

"So Asami came to talk to me this morning, and she saw what happened. Eventually, she figured everything out."

"Figured out what? I thought she w-"

I was cut off by his lips touching mine. I kissed him back, feeling his warm lips that I haven't got to kiss since the tournament.

Ikki and Jinora exclaimed, "See, mom? What did we tell you? They were perfect for each other!"

I blushed.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"That's okay-um, wait. Now I'm really confused. Asami's with you."

He answered, "That's what I was going to tell you. She knew I had feelings for you, I didn't want to hurt her or Bolin."

"I understand."

Just then, Bolin and Asami came into my room. "So, how'd it go?" she inquired.

"How'd what go? I'm pretty confused here!" Bolin exclaimed. Apparently, he just woke up, and Asami dragged him over here judging from how messed up his hair was.

Mako held my hand and asked, "Korra, I love you. I didn't tell you how I felt, and I don't know why. I just hope you feel the same way."

Jinora, Ikki, and Asami seemed to squeal with joy. Bolin's mouth dropped open.

They were waiting for an answer. I concluded, "Mako. My hearts been broken. I don't know if I would want that to happen again,"

"Korra, please. I swear I never wanted that to happen. I understand if you can call me a total dickhead."

The Avatar's soft lips met his, "You may be a dickhead, but I know you feel sorry enough," she turned, "But Bolin, I hope we can still be friends. Right?"

Bolin smirked, "No worries. I knew you two were meant for each other. It's just that I didn't think that Mako would actually confess! It's not like him!"

"So...what now?" Asami spoke.

"Double date time!" exclaimed Bolin.

"But I thought you were both single?" I questioned.

Bolin put his arm around Asami. "Well actually..."

Ikki and Jinora gasped with excitement. They're all about love, aren't they?

* * *

**Bolin's POV:**

It was sunrise, and I yawned pretty loudly. I walked up to Mako's bed, where I saw Asami sitting, checking through her purse. I yelped. If she's here then where's Mako?

I speculated, "Hi, Asami. D-do you know where Mako went?" I was sort of nervous around her. She was so perfect, and-

She admitted, "Mako went to Air Temple Island to tell Korra how he_ really _feels. I knew I was causing trouble, and I decided to break up with him. I just didn't feel right. Korra deserves to be with him."

I lifted her hand, "Miss Sato, you are one of the most beautiful girls in the world. Why would you make yourself feel so bad? Someone like you should be enjoying life!"

She giggled, "You're such a nice guy, Bolin. You know how to make anybody feel better. That's why I like you."

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

"No, I mean, I like you too, but I had mixed feelings about Korra."

"You still like her?"

I went on, "Not that much. I also found that she was good with Mako, I just didn't know how to handle it."

"Then its official. We can start dating tomorrow."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, everything's so sudden."

"Yeah, I know."

An idea popped into my head.

"HOW ABOUT A DOUBLE DATE?" we both hollered. "But really cheesy if anyone else heard us say that."

Everything_ did _happen pretty fast in the past few minutes. Mako and Asami broke up, and now I'm dating her. My brother gets to date Korra. It was perfect. But we didn't know if everything would turn out alright with Korra and Mako. We traveled to Air Temple Island on the ferry. The small ferry slowly sailed as we decided that the double date should be tomorrow night, and Mako and Korra can come if everything worked out. Wow. One of the prettiest girls in Republic City was going to date me! What a perfect day!

* * *

_**Okay, this chapter is kinda short compared to the chapters in my other stories, but this should've been a one-shot, anyway. If I get any more ideas, I'll add a couple more chapters.**_


	2. Preparations

Agh! Writer's Block again. I'll just hope for the best for this chapter. My other story is about action, adventure, you know. Don't worry some action will be in here, too. But for now, ROMANCE! I'm a forever Kataang believer, but that's another story. As I said, POV's may be short, so don't turn to criticism. But thank you to all of those who have commented so far! You guys just made my day :)

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

_Previously: Asami broke up with Mako because she knew that she causing a love triangle between him and Korra. Bolin and Asami would officially become a couple on their double date, and..._

**Bolin's POV:**

An awesome day it was. _Asami Sato. _I couldn't get her name out of my head. She was just too beautiful. No wonder Mako liked her so much! Her green eyes twinkle whenever she looks at me. Dark hair flowing like silk. She's just...perfect! Am I lucky? Yes.

I was strolling through Republic City. _Tonight, is our official first date, _I thought. Pabu was on my shoulder, gnawing at the cookie I gave him. The streets were quiet as I headed towards the flower shop. I asked for panda lilies and moon flowers. Perfect combination!

The panda lilies were delivered to the shop a few days ago, so it's good that I can get them before they wilt. They did grow near volcanoes, after all. The moon flowers would be fine since they don't need that much sunlight.

I walked out of the shop, holding the flowers. I walked past Skoochy when he said, "Ah, panda lilies. Symbols of love! What pretty lady are ya giving em' to?"

I loved saying her name. "Asami. She's awesome."

"Asami Sato? You're kidding."

"I'm not, I'll introduce you to her if you want."

"Okay, I believe you. But how did you come across a girl like her?"

"Skoochy, I'm pretty good with the ladies, too."

'MmmmHmmm."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Have fun!"

Skoochy was always being sarcastic. But its not that easy for me, though. Apparently, a lot of girls like serious guys who are overprotective and barely laugh. Wait, that's Mako. So should I be mean and argumentative? Asami didn't seem to like it much, but Korra certainly did.

Does that mean girls don't like comforting nice guys like me? Oh, well. I've got Asami, and Korra and Mako _are_ good together. But it was sort of weird how they _liked _the arguing. Asami thought it was romantic, and she thought that it was their way of flirting? Something like that.

I shrugged, and headed back to the arena and into the attic to get ready.

**Asami's POV:**

I was riding my moped home, a big grin on my face. I knew I made the right choice. Korra and Mako really do love each other, it's just that when I came in I formed a love triangle. Korra and Mako are both great and strong benders. I guess they were too much alike to notice that they loved each other!

But I'm with Bolin now, and he really is sweet. I guess I could get to know him a bit more at our date tonight. But right now, I wanted to try and be friends with Korra. I saw how she looked at us when Mako and I were together. I just want to clear things up and start up fresh.

I asked her yesterday on Air Temple Island if I could come over later. She agreed, and I would help her get ready for the double date. I was going home to pick up everything I needed. Korra is sort of a tomboy, so I wanted Mako to see a different side of her. I grabbed four dresses from my closet.

The first dress was a green one-shoulder with a black stripe through the middle. The second was a plain pink dress with ruffles on the side. The third dress was a blue v-neck. My dress was a purple one with a sweetheart neckline. I gently put them in the dress bags.

But next was jewelry. Goodness. I'm beginning to think that I have too many. So I picked out two necklaces, and my two favorite pairs of earrings. Next I brung my makeup kit, which was sort of heavy. I had to admit, I do wear a lot of makeup at times. Korra was the one with natural beauty that she didn't want to appreciate.

Last but not least, the shoes. My eyes turned to see the two pairs of heels that I haven't worn in awhile. I wasn't sure if Korra liked heels, so I would bring my black ballet flats just in case. With all of the accessories in a back and with the dresses over my shoulder, I took the trolley and the ferry to Air Temple Island.

**Mako's POV:**

Tonight was the night. My first date with Korra, which was my very first double date. I'm pretty sure Asami dated many guys before, but she always acted like she didn't. As for Korra, she's different. She may have not dated so many guys, but I'm lucky that I do get to date her.

I can't believe that we've spent all this time preparing and arguing that we almost lost ourselves. Now that the arena is destroyed, I don't know what's going to happen next. Probending was part of my lifestyle. It's like a part of me was torn away, and it was replaced with love, which is sort of a good thing. But we haven't stopped training together, whether there's a match coming up or not.

Bolin suddenly came up the steps humming to himself. I sighed. Was he always this easy-going? It's like he's never nervous about anything. Oh well. Asami was easy to talk to. Korra and I would easily get into an argument.

Asami delivered two tuxedos for me and Bolin. We happened to be going to Kuang's Cuisine again tonight. Asami really enjoyed their food, but she didn't notice how weird the workers were. Especially that servant I met last time. That would just have to be ignored, as for the press, also. They would be asking Bolin and I what would happen since the arena was closed, ask Korra for what she would do about Amon, and Asami for what her father's new inventions.

Of course, this was something for us to talk about, but I didn't want to have random people hover around us with cameras and notebooks. As always, I never took my red scarf off, and instead tied it around my neck. I slipped on my dress shoes, while Bolin did the same. Pabu tried to chew on them, but Bolin put them on as Pabu squealed with disappointment. Bolin apologized, "Pabu, you are the cutest thing in the world, but you'll have to stay here tonight. And don't chew on the bed sheets!"

I chuckled. It seemed that Pabu only chewed on Bolin's belongings unless if it was my food. There were thirty minutes left until we had to meet at the restaurant, it wouldn't be a waste of time if we just walked. So Bolin and I headed out the door, with Bolin's hands stuffed with flowers.

**Asami's POV:**

I was just leaving the ferry as I told the White Lotus guards that I was here for Korra. The guards asked, "And your name is..?"

"Asami Sato," I snapped. These people could be way too overprotective at times.

The guards were about to lead me in as they pointed to where Korra's room was. I squinted at the clock on Aang Memorial Island. I had thirty minutes until it was six, so I came here at perfect timing. I took up the steps to Korra's room, where Jinora and Ikki had been waiting. I told them that they could help too, and they obviously agreed without hesitation.

I addressed, "Hey, guys. Where's Korra?"

Ikki answered, "Oh, she's listening to the radio. You can go in and...OOOHHH! Is that makeup! And dresses? And earrings! Lemme see! Lemme see!"

Jinora quickly stopped her as she was about to grab the bag. "Sorry about that, Asami. You know Ikki. She's pretty girly at times."

I teased, "Well, no one's as girly as I am."

Ikki responded, "True. You wear makeup all the time!"

I rolled my eyes and grinned as I opened the door to Korra's room. Korra was about to literally end the radio with a fire dagger in her hand. I laughed, "Korra, what did that radio do now?"

She exclaimed, "This radio is so annoying! With every station I hear, Amon's voice keeps on saying stuff like; _"Hey, Avatar. Too bad I had your precious arena destroyed a few days ago. And this proves that you'll never defeat me," _I mean seriously! He knows that other people are listening to this, right?"

I sighed. "Korra, just forget about Amon and loosen up a little. I'm surprised, because you usually aren't the one to worry as much."

Korra breathed and exhaled, "Alright, but I still hate this radio," and with that, she broke it in half with her fire dagger and tossed it out the window.

We could hear Tenzin yelling from outside, "Ow! Korra! Stop aiming stuff at my head! What did the radio ever do to you?"

Korra couldn't help but give out a laugh. I had her sit down in front of a mirror while Ikki and Jinora were trying to pick out Korra's dress out of the three. Pema entered the room and smiled, "Looks like all of the girls are here, except for me! Do you need help with anything?"

I explained, "Those two were picking out the dress, but maybe you could help with that. Maybe the accessories, too."

She gave out a grin as she studied the three dresses I brought. Jinora and Ikki immediately observed the jewelry and the shoes. I undid Korra's pigtails and ponytail, working my comb through her hair. I don't understand why she would keep all of her hair tied up like this all the time. _Maybe Water Tribe hairstyle,_ I thought.

Before long, I was done with her makeup and hair, and she really did look beautiful. Pema, Jinora, and Ikki all gasped with excitement. I was proud because to me, doing makeup was like me being an artist with a paintbrush. The three all suggested the same things: the green dress, gold earrings and silver heels. I wouldn't have said anything different.

They left the room as I changed in the restroom while Korra changed in her room. I put on my purple dress, applied eye shadow and mascara, and slipped on my heels and earrings. Korra knocked on the door and asked if I was ready since we had ten minutes. I stepped out, seeing Korra in her outfit. The green dress looked perfect on her, but she was fidgeting with her heels.

She giggled, "Um, Asami? Can I just wear the flats? I don't think I can spend 5 minutes with these heels on."

I nodded as she she took off the heels with relief. The heels absolutely fit her, but she preferred ballet flats. I understood, referring to how she would wear boots everyday. After that, the girls wished us good luck as I grabbed my handbag and we jumped on a ferry headed to the mainland.

**_Sorry that this chapter isn't the actual date, but I still need some time to figure out a problem that will happen. Thanks for reading anyway._**


	3. Betrayal

Yay, double date! And yes, I had to mix up my story a bit, since the new episode just came out, but I'll stay on my storyline as long as they have the same outcomes as the episodes.

**Disclaimer; I don't own LOK or any of the episodes.**

-I'm only adding the parts from the episodes because they _DO_ affect this story since I don't know what'll happen next, so I'll just continue it, differently, but with the same storyline. Okay? This was hard to explain, so thank you for reading, and review if you can :)

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

So this chapter would take place after the _"winner is..."_and to the beginning of the _"aftermath."_

**Korra's POV:**

Once we got off of the ferry, Asami explained, "Mako and I decided that we should go to Kuang's Cuisine. The walk isn't so long, and I hope its okay with you. I'm sort of tired riding Satomobiles and mopeds. Once we were off the ferry, we took a stroll down the block that led to Kuang's Cuisine. It looked like a nice place, lights from the inside could be seen from blocks away.

When we rounded the corner, we also saw Mako and Bolin walking in our direction. Bolin's eyes bugged out, "Whoa! Don't you two look stunning!"

Mako couldn't help but smile, "Yeah Korra, you do look good!"

I blushed, "Come, on guys. Let's head inside."

Asami told the hostess, "Reservation for Sato, please?"

"Of course. Let me lead you to your table."

So we all sat down at out table. I ordered seaweed noodles, Bolin got smoked sea slug, Asami had dumplings, and Mako wanted komodo sausage. You could get this at any restaurant, but everyone wanted the food they were used to having. Asami finally started a conversation, "Sorry, to bring this up, but I did hear that they're going to shut down the entire arena."

Mako replied, "Yeah, we're going to have to move out soon, anyway."

"Well, you two can live with me at the estate! It'll be fun!"

I wanted to take a break from arguments. "Yeah, you two should live at Asami's house! I have no problem visiting."

Mako didn't look pleased. "But Korra, our relationship literally just started, and I wanted to spend a little more time with you."

Bolin had a weird look on his face, stroking his invisible beard. "That's it! Mako can live with Korra and I can be with Asami! Isn't it perfect?"

Asami gave Bolin a hug. "Hey, it does sound perfect. Does everyone agree?"

She looked around, waiting for an answer. We all nodded, happy with the decision. Bolin cheered, "Alright! Let's celebrate!"

I said, "Bolin, we're not even done with our food yet."

"Okay, then I'll make the time go faster!" he said while shoving food into his mouth.

Asami giggled, "Bolin, you'll eat yourself sick. But when we're really done, I can give you guys a tour of my house, if you want."

Mako almost choked on his food. "Don't you mean houses? With all that luxury, it's almost a fact that you can have as many houses as you want."

Asami answered, "Well I have one house, then a couple of more buildings around it."

We all continued the conversation, and we ate until most of the people in the restaurant were starting to leave. Soon, the entire restaurant was empty, and we headed out. The Sato estate was a bit far, and we wanted to board a trolley to get there. Republic City was so quiet at night. I was just thankful that the citizens were smart to go home instead of in the open.

From my experience, way too many gangs were out there. Don't forget those weird equalists. We exited the trolley, only to see how huge the estate was! Asami wasn't kidding when she said that more than one building. The main building was enormous, topped off with a dome for the ceiling. The other buildings aren't as fancy as the other ones, but it was impressive that there were this many.

We entered through the front doors, greeted by the twinkling of a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Bolin drank a lot of leechi juice, so he rushed to the bathroom.

Asami started, "Hey, did you two hear what happened to Cabbage Corp?"

I answered, "Oh yeah. Chief Bei Fong and the police found equalist supplies there."

"Enough with the equalists! Lets start the tour!" Bolin yelled as he left the restroom.

Asami led a down a hallway. "As you see, there are lots of hallways, so don't get lost. To your left and right are the guestrooms. If you go down this hallway, you can find the pool and spa. To the right of the next corridor, is the kitchen and living room. Next to the living room is the dining room and bathrooms."

Whoa. Those were a lot of rooms. The guestrooms each had two beds, completely organized. There were about four bathrooms around the whole mansion. The kitchen and living room were huge. They could both fit fifty people at a party and still have space for more! the pool and spa looked absolutely modern, the same for the dining room.

Asami continued, "Upstairs is my room and my dad's office. Outside is the raceway where they test Satomobiles, but I guess its a little dark outside to watch one right now."

She led us to where her dad's office was. Mr. Sato waved. "Why, hello Mako! And you two must be Korra and Bolin."

Mr. Sato shook both of our hands vigorously. He told us that he had to get back to work, so we left the office. I was the last to leave, and I shut the door slowly. The others went ahead as I had to fix my shoes. I knelt down to adjust them when I heard Hiroshi speaking, "Great. Now those Fire Ferrets are in my home. Tell the Lieutenant to meet me at the factory. We have some work to do with those nasty benders."

That's all I needed to hear. I dashed past the others calling, "Sorry, guys! Tenzin wants me to get back right away!"

I headed to the Police Headquarters, babbling out everything I could to Chief Bei Fong. Luckily Tenzin was there too. He asked, "Are you sure, Korra? That's a huge contradiction you're making."

I nodded. Chief Bei Fong knew that Asami welcomed me at the estate, so she wanted me to spy on Hiroshi.

"What? I just became friends with Asami! I can't just spy on her like that!"

Tenzin shook his head. "Korra, just continue the tour and see if you can find anything. Spend time at the estate and look over everything. Do it for Republic City."

"Fine. For Republic City. But for nothing else!"

Chief Bei Fong had five officers including herself to stake out, but outside of the estate. She gave me a ride back to Asami's home. "Remember that if you see anything suspicious, come find me."

I forced myself to go back in, finding my friends with worried faces. Mako questioned, "Korra, what happened? I got worried."

"Um, I thought I had airbending training, but Tenzin said it was okay to stick around for the tour."

**Mako's POV:**

Okay, now I was really concerned. Korra hasn't been herself lately. But I guess I would just have to wait until we were on Air Temple Island. But the tour was almost over since the last spot we were shown to was the garage. Inside, there were Satomobiles and mopeds all over.

In all assorted colors, it looked like we were inside a dealership. I looked over at Korra to see her reaction, but she stopped, a confused look on her face. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"There's something.." she answered, walking back and forth in the same spot. "Don't you hear it?"

I shook my head. She went over to Bolin. "Bolin, did you learn how to use seismic sense?"

He also shook his head. "What's that?"

Korra replied, "It's a technique and earthbender senses movements through the earth."

She snatched off her ballet flat and stamped her foot on the ground. She put her flat back on, and nodded in the direction of the window. Asami glanced out the window, confused. "Korra, what's going on?"

"Asami, you're my friend so I want to make this easy for you."

Korra used her earthbending to lift a huge flat piece of rock from the ground. Inside was this weird looking tunnel. I could hear noises from inside, and I knew someone was in there. Suddenly, we heard a crashing noise from upstairs. Somebody was yelling out orders, but I couldn't make out who it was.

The window from the garage was broken through, and this time it was Chief Bei Fong. Asami screamed, "Why are you breaking into my home? Korra, explain this!"

Chief Bei Fong interrupted, "Your father's an equalist."

"What? Why would my father want to be an equalist? Those people are terrible!" Asami broke down in tears. Bolin comforted her, and Korra obviously wasn't ignoring the commotion from upstairs. She ran in the direction of the noise. I decided to follow.

"Mako! Stay down there! This is my battle!" she yelled through all the chaos. We were hiding behind a wall, and from there I could see chi-blockers searching for something or _someone._

That someone was obviously Korra. There was too many of them for her to handle. I just started my relationship with her, and I couldn't let her put herself in the face of danger like that.

So I grabbed her arm and pulled her downstairs, telling Chief Bei Fong and Tenzin what was happening upstairs. Before I could say anything eight chi blockers were coming in our direction. Behind them, were many more. All of us were surrounded. Our only exit was the tunnel. Tenzin, Korra, and the metalbenders fought most of them off, while the rest of us jumped into what looked like a giant cart.

The three of them were able to go in as soon as we took off. The rest of equalists just followed on foot. The cart stopped, and we jumped onto a platform. This platform soon led to a dark room. I asked Korra what this was, and she just shrugged. Bolin asked Asami to stay hidden behind the pipes, which I thought was a good decision.

**Asami's POV:**

I was so confused. How could there be a hidden factory underneath my own home? It was just outrageous. I needed to get this all straightened out, so I agreed when Bolin asked me to hide behind the pipes. My home was being invaded again.

My friends are put in danger, and I was somehow connected to it, not knowing. Behind the pipes, I could see these huge machines. But suddenly, they lit up as chi blockers came and a giant wall of platinum trapped everyone in this one room. Silent tears burst from my eyes as I saw that my father was in one of the machines. Wait. Korra was right.

My father is an equalist, and I knew why. It's because when my home was invaded years ago, a firebender killed my mother. But this wasn't the way. Revenge on benders isn't the way. My dad was constructing machines for equalists, just to get back at benders for killing my mother.

I was still watching the battle, my hand over my mouth so that no one could hear me sobbing. Bolin was chucking rock at the chi blockers, but they easily dodged them and paralyzed his arms, doing the same to Mako. I knew Korra had experience with the chi blockers, and she hit most of them with her firebending. Chief Bei Fong and the rest of the police were fighting off the machines, using wires to trap them. Master Tenzin formed a mini-tornado, which literally blew most of the equalists away.

My father, however was using the metal claws to grab metalbenders and throw them across the room. This battle went on, and soon the only people standing were a couple of chi blockers, the lieutenant, and my father. But still Korra, Tenzin, and Chief Bei Fong were fighting. Mako, Bolin, and many others were either electrocuted, tied to the ground, or paralyzed. Chief Bei Fong was stabbing random machines back and forth with knives, but she was electrocuted.

Korra got rid of the remaining chi blockers, and was now headed for my father. "You're such a liar, Hiroshi!" she screamed while blasting fire at him, "We trusted you!"

She was about to hit him again when the Lieutenant used the metal claw to slam her against a giant pipe. Tenzin was tied up, also unable to airbend.

Just as Mako and Bolin were gaining consciousness, my father called, "Round up the captives and deliver them to Amon! I'm sure he would be more than glad to take away their bending."

At the probending championships, I witnessed Amon take away Tahno's bending. I can't let that happen to my friends. My father came out of the machine, and I saw that he was wearing gloves. I was pretty sure that these gloves were electrified.

I couldn't take this anymore. I emerged from the pipes and walked straight up to my dad. "My whole life has been a lie because of you!" I screamed. "I always thought that I was a proud daughter of the great Hiroshi Sato, but I'm actually the ashamed daughter of an equalist!"

My father looked surprised, but didn't say anything. Instead, he took off one of his gloves and handed it to me. "Asami, don't you know what these benders did to our family? They killed your mother! With Amon and my machinery, we can rid the world of these horrid people! I know you would want to do the same."

The glove was still offered to me. In my self-defense classes, I remember my teacher always saying to use your _enemies' weapons against them._ I glanced over at Mako and Bolin, who were trying to get up. I slowly took the glove, and put it on.

Mako yelled, "You tricked us, Hiroshi! You only supported the Fire Ferrets so that you could gain our trust!"

"Very true, Mako. Very true. But did you think I could stand the fact that my own daughter is spending her days with you benders? Ridiculous."

Bolin begged, "Please, Asami. Don't do this. it isn't right."

"Don't worry. I won't," I replied before shocking my father with the glove. I kicked the Lieutenant in the stomach and did the same. Everyone followed me back into the tunnel, while Mako and Bolin helped Korra, Chief Bei Fong, and Tenzin get back into the tunnel.

We made our way across the estate, and some of the police cars picked us up from there. When we were settled, I was glad that I made the right choice.


	4. Friendship

I'm pretty disappointed that there wasn't a new episode this week, but from what I heard, "When Extreme Meets" will air June 2nd. Whatever, I can wait. Anyways, thank you for the comments my stories, because I've been having a hard time with the whole plot.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LOK.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**Korra's POV:**

After the police cars picked us up from the Sato estate, we boarded an airship which would be a bit safer. My feet ached, since I fought those stupid Mecha Tanks which flats on, not to mention the dress. So I finally got to change back into my normal tunic, pants, and boots. I gently laid Asami's dress and flats down on the bench. I walked up to Asami, who was leaning next to a wall. I approached her, "Hey, Asami. You Okay?"

Tears streamed out of her eyes, "I don't know, Korra. My father's been lying to me my entire life. I just can't believe that I've been stupid enough to live such a careless life."

"Now don't say that. It's not your fault that your father's been doing that behind back. I also talked to Tenzin, and he said that you, Mako and Bolin are more than welcome to stay on Air Temple Island."

Asami hugged me, and I walked towards Bolin, "Hey, Bolin. Do you and Mako wanna stay over at the Air Temple with us? You guys are more than welcome to." Bolin gave out a grin.

"Really? Thanks Korra! You're the best." Bolin stepped over to where Mako was, telling him that they were both welcome to stay.

But then I tapped Bolin on his shoulder, "Hey, um you should talk to Asami. She's the one suffering the most." But Bolin nodded and grinned, knowing that I just wanted to talk to Mako.

As I approached, Mako gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Now, how lucky am I to be dating an awesome Avatar?" he asked.

"Very," I gave him a playful shove.

We were dropped off at the island, and Tenzin showed everybody to their rooms. I was about to knock on Asami's door when Ikki and Jinora tugged at my sleeve, "Korra! Dinnertime!"

Everyone sat down in an awkward silence. I started a conversation, "So Tenzin, what's our new plan?"

Mako and Bolin looked over at each other, and shrugged. I really didn't know what to do either. We found proof just the other day that Amon's forces were growing even stronger with Hiroshi's machinery. Tenzin seemed to read my mind, "Well, if we find the rest of Hiroshi's machinery, then Amon would otherwise be defenseless."

I nudged him, reminding him that Asami was still here. But instead, Asami was already running out of the dining hall, tears in her eyes. I dashed after her, but by the time I caught up to her, we were at Republic City Park. She sat under a gazebo. The night was unusually quiet, something I didn't get to enjoy well in this city. "Asami, what's wrong? Is it about what Tenzin said?"

She replied, "No. it's not that. I know I'm being a wimp and all, but my dad was the last of my family, and now he's turned into a stupid Equalist."

I was about to hug her, which I did, when I heard a zooming sound come from behind us. I thought Asami's moped was left on, but I knew it wasn't when i saw pairs of red eyes and masks. I screamed, "Asami! Get out of here!"

(3rd person)

Asami started to run to her moped, but was tied-down to a railing. The bolo had pinned her down to it. The same Equalist then used her moped to run it into the gazebo, knocking most of the roof down. Asami was helpless as pieces from the structure came toppling. Meanwhile, Korra was rapidly battling the surrounding chi-blockers. There weren't as many when she had her duel with Amon at Aang Memorial Island, but it was still a challenge. Since she was by the river, she created a large water whip and launched them at two chi-blockers who were knocked into the river with a_ splash!_

She lit a circle of fire around her, and some of them men burned their feet. What Korra didn't notice was that one of them was holding a match, lit it with Korra's flame, and threw it towards the gazebo. Asami screamed, "Korra!"

The Avatar tried to help her, but there were also too many people in the way. One launched quick and agile jabs at her arm, and Korra did a backflip to prevent them from getting any closer. The flames were slowly approaching Asami, and she thought that she could burn what was cuffing her to this pole. She found out that it wasn't actually rope, though. She scooted over to the side, put something severely sharp pricked her arm.

She winced, but found that it was a huge metal beam. The end was sharper, so she used this to cut herself free. This was actually cables that she couldn't burn, and she was about to run out of the gazebo when a smoke grenade was thrown at her. She coughed rapidly, and was trapped underneath a wooden chunk by the staircase. All I could do was watch the battle in front of me.

Korra only had to battle the six equalists left. Her left hand was tied up with a bola, but she didn't hold back. Using her right leg, Three men were frozen against the tree. With earthbending, Korra made two men launch into the sky, and she froze them in mid-air. After that, there was only one equalist remaining. To Asami, he looked different from the others.

Asami recognized him as the Lieutenant, Amon's second in command. The Lieutenant grinned, holding up two electrified kali sticks. "Come and get it, Avatar." he laughed.

Korra wasn't intimidated by this, as she immediately threw a fireball towards him. He easily dodged it, aiming the kali sticks right at her. She lifted a boulder from behind the equalist, as he jumped away from it. Korra levitated numerous icicles from the river, and only a few of them hit the Lieutenant's arm. He winced, but was able to get up just as the Avatar had the opportunity to cuff his hands together with rock, and freeze his feet.

She was satisfied saying, "Wow. Waterbending sure is useful on you idiots."

She noticed Asami still isolated by the stairwell. Korra came to her aid, pulling her out.

**Asami's POV:**

I was _so _relieved to get out of that gazebo. I could have gotten burned alive. After what I did the the Lieutenant and my dad, I don't know how they would treat me if I was captured. Korra helped me up, and I saw that my arm was still bleeding along with my broken leg. She created a glove of water which started glowing as she healed my arm. But she told me that my leg would take a while to heal.

Not long after, we took the quickest route back to Air Temple Island, and I was glad to see everyone again. I was led back to my room where I told Bolin and Mako about what happened. Apparently one of the White Lotus Sentries heard, and slapped his forehead, "It's like we're never there when those stupid equalists attack!"

Korra laughed at this, and explained to me that he was still a rookie at his job. But it was true: most of the time, the sentries aren't around whenever there's a battle. Soon, I kissed Bolin good night, and I was left alone with Korra. She muttered, "Well, at least I beat those equalists for once."

I giggled, and patted her shoulder. "You're my best friend, Korra."

Her expression turned from depressed to a comforting smile. "I know," she said, playfully twirling her ponytail. "Now get some rest. We've all had a pretty tiring day."

I nodded. But there was only one good outcome of this: I had _real_ friends, and a_ real _life. These were the people who really cared about me.

**Tada! Good chapter? Hope so. Well, I guess that's it for now, but MAYBE, just maybe, I'll add more if ideas come to mind. But I'm just soooo relieved that I finally finished at least one of my stories, saying that since I'm working on other stories? Geez. It's a habit. **

**R&R!**


	5. Troublemakers

**I love that you guys are commenting, but recently I've been having major writer's block. Frustrating, I know. So this chapter came out of nowhere, and it's about all the trouble seven kids can do to four teens. Oh, and I'm watching episode 8 right now, and it was...infuriating? Tarrlok goes psycho, the new Team Avatar gets split up, and Asami's suspicious Korra and Mako. Thanks a lot, Ikki! hehe.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

A normal yet beautiful day in Republic City it was. Asami was recovering from her recent depression, feeling much better. She thought that her father asked those equalists to attack her because of her betrayal. If Korra hadn't followed her last night, then she could've been captured or abused. She stared at the bandages wrapped around her arm.

She suffered minor injuries after what happened in Republic City Park when she was trapped under the gazebo. Asami was about to slide back under the covers of her bed when she heard the sound of glass breaking downstairs. She rushed down the staircase to see Korra, Mako, and Bolin with four kids she didn't know running around. Jinora, Meelo, and Ikki were tossing toys back and forth, apparently throwing them at each other. Korra was pulling her ponytail, obviously stressed.

Mako and Bolin were chasing two kids around, who appeared to be four year olds. One was a baby, sitting in the corner of the room and gnawing on a teether. The other kid was screaming out, "I'm hungry! HUNGRY!"

**Asami's POV:**

And soon the commotion became total chaos, everyone either screaming or destroying something. I screamed, "STOP!" everyone came to stare at me. "What's going on?"

Korra explained, "Every member of that council is _crazy_."

I sighed, "What did they do_ this_ time?"

Bolin gave me a kiss on the cheek, his new greeting for me in the morning. "Earlier, a huge mob showed up at City Hall, complaining to the council about this, that, stuff I won't understand."

Mako continued, "And they wanted to handle the situation, leaving all of their kids with us."

Korra let out a sigh and leaned on the couch, trying to catch up with a short nap. Mako wrapped her around in a blanket and kissed her forehead, "Korra's exhausted. And besides, they mostly ruined _her _stuff." He glared at the seven kids.

Meelo, Ikki, and Jinora stopped and walked up to Mako. Jinora spoke first, "Sorry, but they stole my books! I mean, what am I without my books? A total idiot! Ikki and Meelo were just helping me get them back." She hugged her two siblings.

Bolin clapped his hands, "Aww! Family bonding here!"

I put my hand on my hips and was about to lecture to the four children at the other side of the room. But when I looked in their direction, all I saw was the wall. "Where'd they go?" I asked.

The three airbenders in the room shrugged.

I slapped my hand on my forehead, "Great! Now we lost the sons and daughters of the _Council_! Don't they have any daycares or relatives they can go to?"

Bolin pointed out, "From what I heard, a whole bunch of equalists took over the daycares, shops, and restaraunts and then blamed the benders for destroying "non-bender" property."

"Actually, I think this is just another test from Tenzin, but we don't know for sure, yet."

I shook my head, "What about the White Lotus Sentries?"

Jinora stepped beside me, "Um, their only purpose is to find a protect the Avatar. This custom originally came after-"

Meelo jumped up, "Hey, pretty lady! Can I have a piece of candy? Butterscotch? Oh, wait! Apples! Yes! Apple is the best flavor!"

I patted his head, "Meelo, you're very sweet, but I'm with Bolin right now."

Meelo sighed, and walked out towards the balcony. Now we just had to find those four kids and get them back here before their parents find out!"

I glanced over at the three airbenders in the room. "Guys, you saw where they went. You know."

Ikki and Meelo tried to whistle, while Jinora ignored."Please? I'll give you back your candy _and_ your books if you help. Okay?"

The three of them pointed towards the kitchen. Giggling could be heard by the fridge.

(3rd person)

Mako opened up the fridge to find a cute-looking baby in it, covered in peanut sauce. He lifted him up and gave him to Asami. The baby was sticky, so Asami went to the bathroom to rinse him off. Bolin was calling out, "Oh, Kiiids! Oh little troublemaker children! Can you please give Pabu back?"

The daughter of the Earth Kingdom councilman wanted to play dress up with Pabu, and of course Ikki wanted to do this first. So Bolin checked under the tables. When he got to the last one, he found found the 3 remaining kids under there. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed, grabbing their hands.

Ikki marched up, grabbing Pabu. "My turn!"

The sons and daughters of the council were lined up against the wall. Asami came out, carrying the baby by her shoulder. She said in a gentle tone, "So, what're your names?"

The Earth Kingdom girl stood, "I'm Jinghua."

A Fire Nation boy followed, "My name's Cheng, and my brother's name is Rulan."

Jinghua and Cheng both seemed to be around 5 or 6 years old, while Rulan appeared to be four.

"And who's the cute baby?" Asami asked, gesturing to the Northern Water Tribe infant in front of her. She could tell since the symbols on her dress looked different from what she saw in the Southern Tribe.

Rulan answered, "Oh, that's Ying."

Mako crossed his arms, pacing back and forth. He then looked around at the disaster scene which was once the living room and kitchen. It was weird how the White Lotus sentries didn't hear anything, but they might have been listening to the radio. Bolin was thinking the same thing, "Now, you guys better give Jinora her books back and clean up your messes."

Cheng, Jinghua, and Rulan all grinned at each other, devious grins at the most. Cheng carelessly tossed back Jinora's surviving books, while Jinora caught them just in time. Rulan grabbed a pebble and tossed it to the other side of the room. Thinking that someone else was behind them, the three teens turned around. Jinghua and the two Fire Nation siblings quietly sneaked out the window while Bolin, Asami, and Mako had no idea what was going on.


	6. Arrests

I wasn't sure if I should include parts from episode 8 in this chapter or in chapter 10, but I'll just put here, anyways. Sorry for the wait because published too many stories at once. *flicks herself in the forehead* And yes, I admit it was a bad decision in the first place. Too late now, huh?

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Bolin and the other two teens whipped around to see that the three children had left the room. _Again. _He slapped himself constantly, "Why-did-they-have-to-make-us-feel-so-stupid-by-escaping-AGAIN!"

Mako grabbed his wrists and said, "Bolin! Chill for a second. Alright?"

It seemed that Ikki and Meelo have also left the room, but Jinora was walking back to her room. Asami halted her, yet still carrying Ying. "Jinora, where'd they go this time?"

Jinora nodded her head towards the window, "I think they said they were going Central City Station. But don't worry. I'm allowed to stay home alone. Besides, a bunch of acolytes live here."

She cooly strolled into her room, about five books in each hand. Korra was half asleep mumbling, "Mako, I think I'm-"

Mako stood next to her, "You're what?"

"I think I'm sick." She sniffed, her nose turning a faint red.

Bolin flailed his hands around, "Oh no, no, no. Korra, we need your help!"

"Bolin! She can't even get up right now."

Korra had a coughing fit, as she weakly stood up from the couch. Mako felt her forehead, "Korra, you're boiling. I think it's a fever."

She shooed his hand away, "Relax, I can still go."

Bolin was satisfied. But now they just had to find a source of transportation that wouldn't take so long. Naga was out of the question because she refused to carry more than three people. The trolleys and ferries would also take too long. he asked, "Hey, Asami. You don't suppose that we can use that Satomobile you have in the warehouse?

She just let out a grin, and returned in the courtyard with a unique and sleek-looking Satomobile. In the back, was Ying in a carseat. Bolin interrupted, "I don't think it's a good idea to have the baby around."

"Why not? She's our responsibility."

With a shrug, Mako carried Korra into the car while Bolin threw himself into the first seat. "We're the new babysitting Team Avatar!"

This made Asami chuckle, and Bolin gave her a kiss on the lips. Longer than expected, Korra interrupted. "Can you guys kiss another time? We're kind of on a schedule here."

Asami guided the vehicle until they arrived at Central City Station. "Now why would they want to come here?"

Her boyfriend answered, "Probably because it'll take us about an hour to find them in this kinda crowded place."

Unfortunately, Bolin was right. Team Avatar had been searching around the station for over an hour. Korra just wanted to give up. "It's useless. They could be anywhere."

A screech came from the vehicle's police scanners. Asami listened closely, "There's a group of chi-blockers escaping a few blocks ahead!"

The Satomobile zoomed over to where the scanner had instructed. Numerous red lights could be seen from the other side of the road, as they were equalist masks. Asami quickly followed, making the sharp turns. Ying was enjoying it, laughing and clapping her hands together. Mako sents blasts of fire at the truck in front of them, which made the truck skid to a stop and five chi-blockers stumble out of it.

Two equalists landed on top of the car, and Asami electrocuted one of them with the electrical glove she left in the car. Bolin cuffed the other man with earthbending. Now there were two mopeds speeding before Team Avatar. Korra let out a sneeze before freezing a man in place. She tried to do the same to the person in the other moped, but he was too skilled at dodging the attacks.

Asami immediately recognized him, the Lieutenant. Mako, Korra, and Bolin sent everything they could at him, but easily avoided. The car continued to follow. But at the next turn, the moped was still moving, but nobody was riding it. A thump could be heard by the trunk. Turning around, they saw the Lieutenant standing there with his weapons.

He taunted, "You should be ashamed, Asami. Teaming up with benders."

Asami also stood up, making sure she had the electrified glove. Bolin took the wheel while Mako and Korra were about to attack. "Stop, this is my fight."

Korra held Ying out of the way when Asami started to attack.

**Korra's POV:**

I was really concerned when Asami said she could handle the Lieutenant by herself. But she did tell me a while ago that she took self-defense classes when she was a kid. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant tried to get Asami with his kali sticks, but luckily Asami had some experience. She bobbed her head to avoid his attacks, which was quite impressive. She began to power her glove, causing it to spark.

The equalist was distracted, so my friend used it to her advantage. She shocked his leg, making him wince and kneel. In defeat, the Lieutenant decided to jump out of the Satomobile. Asami took over of the wheel, glad that she got to face the Lieutenant again after he trapped her under a burning gazebo. I gave her a high-five, but then I could faintly hear my name being called from behind the car. "Korra! Korra!" That was weird. It almost sounded like...

"Ikki!" I screamed. Ikki was with Meelo, Rulon, Cheng, and Jinghua. They were crazily waving their arms about. But then a black figure approached them. Jinghua yelled at the top of her lungs, and tried to run away. The figure grabbed her though, and all of the kids attempted to defend her.

"Asami! Turn back! I found the kids!" I hollered.

We screeched to a stop, and turned around, leaving a huge dust cloud. Once we got to the group, the Lieutenant was holding a knife up to Jinghua's neck. "Let her go, now!

"Make your choice, Avatar! Let the rest of the equalists go or I'll kill her."

Bolin and I slowly uncuffed the equalists we captured. The Lieutenant pushed the kids out of the way, and they were off. Jinghua was crying, and I guided her and the others towards the Satomobile. We were about to go after them again, but I heard Asami's yelp. There were three metalbending officers putting Asami into the back of a truck.

I demanded, "What's going on here?"

They didn't reply. But Tarrlok stepped out from behind them. "Long time, no see, Avatar."

"Tarrlok! What're you doing?"

"Well, maybe you can tell me. I just saw you release those equalists over there."

"Are you kidding me? The Lieutenant was about to kill the councilman's daughter if we didn't let them go!"

"Funny, because I didn't see any of that."

I grunted in anger. But then I heard chanting around the other street. All of the lights in the buildings flickered and then they went off. I stomped over to where the chanting came from, and saw a bunch of citizens being arrested by the police. A woman called out, "Avatar Korra! They turned off our electricity, and now they're accusing us of being equalists!"

Tarrlok had a grin on his face, "Well, we just passed a law yesterday saying that it was illegal to be an equalist. All non-benders are suspects."

I glanced back at Mako and Bolin. "Just because they can't bend, doesn't mean they are associated with those equalists!"

Tarrlok tried to ignore me, "Maybe. Maybe not. And if you're on my side, Korra, you'll just let this go. but your two friends will have to be arrested too for damaging neighborhood property."

Mako and Bolin were also in a police car. Mako gave me a nod, and I knew I had to get my friends out.


	7. Worry

Korra will help her friends in this chapter. But what about the kids? We'll find out. Typed on my ipod, so there may be multiple mistakes.

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Korra wasn't too familiar with Satomobiles, but he did know how to drive one. She felt bad leaving the innocent citizens, but she had to get these kids back to safety. "I hope you guys learned your lesson," she told them.

Because one of them was nearly killed when the Lieutenant used Jinghua for blackmail. It seemed that the new Team Avatar was just formed, and now Tarrlok split them apart. When Tarrlok arrested her friends, Korra couldn't do anything about it. Besides, she was surrounded by the police.

When they headed back to the air temple, they were greeted by Jinora. Korra felt her forehead, and she hadn't improved much. Jinora asked, "Korra, you're covered in mud. What happened?"

Korra waved her away and went to her bed to rest. She was sick, she had a long day, and she wanted to rest before she was going to make her big move tonight.

Ying was in a playpen, giggling. If she was aware of what happened, then she wouldn't be so happy. Jinghua, Cheng, Rulon, Ikki, and Meelo were all shivering on the couch. Both from a scarred experience, and that they have been outside for quite a while. Once Jinora heard Korra's door close shut, she demanded, "Alright, people. Tell me what happened."

Although Jinora was the eldest of the group in front of her, she felt like she was the more mature one. They all looked like they were about to burst out in tears. But finally, Rulon spoke up, "We tried to find out parents after we snuck outside. Ikki and Meelo followed us, and they said that there was a circus, but then we got lost."

Jinghua continued, "After that, we headed towards Central City Station, when we heard chanting at a street nearby. There the power went out, and we found Korra and her friends in their Satomobile. But-"

Meelo continued, "There was this guy with a scary mask who held a knife towards Jinghua!"

Jinora gasped, but were relieved that they were safe. She tried to give advice to the younger children, "Your parents are terribly busy with their work. Second, NEVER go out in this city at night. Especially by the streets. It's dangerous."

Jinora lead them to their seperate rooms. Trying to make them feel better, she provided them a piece of advice and hoped that this would be a good example of why they shouldn't behave so badly. The last person to go to bed was Jinghua. She hugged Jinora saying, "Thank you for understanding."

Jinora smiled and slowly shut the door. But then she realized something. Where were Asami, Mako, and Bolin? That was the one thing she forgot to ask. After a few hours, she asked everyone at the Air Temple if they saw the three. They all said no, and Jinora didn't want to wake up Korra, but she sort of had to.

Jinora walked over to Korra's room. Inside, were scattered tissues and belongings. Naga wimpered, and Jinora could tell she looked uncomfortable. So she cleared the room up a bit with airbending before nudging Korra awake, "Korra, wake up. I think your friends are missing,"

Korra coughed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that they haven't showed up since you got here."

Korra jolted out of bed, "Oh gosh, I forgot!"

Jinora was desperate to know, "What?"

"I was gonna get Asami, Maki and Bolin out of that police station. Its either I negotiate, or I'll break them out."

"Then I'm going, too."

Korra sighed, "Jinora, you can't. Whenever I go out to face someone at night, things usually get ugly."

"And you mean that by-"

She replied sarcastically, "Hmm. I dunno. Maybe because I get attacked everytime I go out at night, and I almost lost my bending!"

The airbender raised her hands defensively, "Okay! I get it. But I'm still going. Everyone's in bed, my parents aren't home, and I always miss out on events!"

Korra shrugged, and led her to Naga's back. Korra was more used to riding Naga than a Satomobile.

A few hours before in the police car...

Asami's hands were in handcuffs, them being a little too tight. "Are you okay?" Bolin whispered.

It was dark in the car, so nobody could see her blink back tears. Bolin asked again, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Asami felt all the rage build up in her. "What's wrong? What do you think is wrong? Everything here makes me think of my dad! And I finally find a great boyfriend. But once I actually try to help wih somehing, I find out that he still has feelings for my best friend, and this happens!" Asami gestured to her cuffed hands.

The other innocent suspects in the truck gasped. One of them whispered to Bolin, " Bud, you better work this out or else she'll break up with you for sure."

So Bolin tried to do just that. "Look, I know what you're going through right now. But some people just don't understand. I have nothing going on with Korra. And Tarrlok thinks that just because people aren't benders, they're equalists. So, see? I care and I do underst-"

Asami had a sudden outburst, "Bolin, I don't think you do understand! My whole life has been fake because my father's a stupid liar! He didn't care about me at all!"

Bolin had to respond, "At least your father is alive! BOTH of my parents are dead!"

Asami didn't continue to argue, and there was a sudden silence. Mako couldn't take it anymore. "Gah! Am I always the one to fix these kinds of things?"

His two friends didn't answer. He sighed. "Bolin, you're dating Asami, aren't you?"

"Yes,"

"And Asami, you love Bolin?"

"Mmhmm"

"And wouldn't you two do anything for each other?" Mako said, now feeling like the priest at a wedding.

The two nodded their heads, looking at each other. Mako finished, " So its settled, then."

Some of the civilians in he truck cheered, happy that they got some sort of entertainment while being held captive.

A young woman asked " So, Mr. Mako, you're dating Avatar Korra, right?"

He confusingly nodded, asking to where she was going wih this.

"Then you must know why we're here in cuffs going to the police station," she continued.

The firebender let out a sigh of relief. He thought she just wanted to get to him while Korra wasn't there. Something his old fangirls back at the arena used to do.

He explained, "Korra informed me that Tarrlok was manipulating Bei Fong so that he could go like this- all crazy with power and having the council agree with him. Now they're passing ridiculous laws and providing mandatory curfews,"

The back door opened, as Tarrlok himself appeared. "Time for questioning," he made a malicious smile.


	8. Abandoned

Chapter 8! I appreciate all the comments and I've recently been on PM and you people are so nice! Episode nine was great, happy to know that there may be some Makorra action in there. But the season finale's on the 23rd? I have the feeling that Korra will get her bending taken away, and that'll lead to future seasons? Maybe. BUT GO TEAM BEI FONG!

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Mako and Bolin were tossed onto a metal platform as Tarrlok grabbed them. Asami emerged soon after. With a painful stare, she stole a glance at one of the metalbending officers. Asami's eyes seemed to be digging into their very soul, uncovering the shame they've hidden. The three were dragged off into separate rooms.

Tarrlok gracefully sat down, as if nothing was wrong. He inquired, "So Ms. Sato, we all know that your father's been working for the equalists. You may have turned against him, but that doesn't mean that you can still be in an alliance with Amon."

She shook her head, "What are you talking about? I hate equalists! And your proposition doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Maybe so, but if you've been living with him your whole life, then you must know more about the Sato estate."

Asami looked away, "I don't want to talk about my dad. I never knew there was a secret factory underneath the mansion. I was completely blinded by all these false statements he's been telling me. My mother didn't deserve to die, but my father thought that he could avenge her."

The councilman stood, "So that means that you wanted to avenge her too, and go against benders! You just pretended to betray him so that no one would suspect you! Now I have proof! You're an equalist, and don't you doubt it!"

"But I-" was the only thing Asami could say before two officers took her to a cell. "You can't do this! This isn't fair!"

Tarrlok ignored, carelessly walking away. The only thing the girl could do was wait. First her mother was killed, then her father was helping Amon, Korra may still be in love with Bolin, and now she's in jail, accused of being an equalist. In fact, she couldn't imagine herself being a chi-blocker, for it was against her personality and nature. Usually peaceful, Asami Sato would only hurt others if it was for the sake of her remaining friends.

Her _real_ friends, but now they were somewhere in this building, and she felt so helpless that she can't help them. The stone floor was cold, sending a chill through her body. Her life was falling apart, and so was Republic City. The girls' eyes blurred with tears, and pulled her knees up to her chest for warmth.

**Mako's POV:**

The chains on my wrists rubbed against my skin, making it highly uncomfortable to move. The officers pushed me through a dark hallway, and I didn't know that the Police Headquarters was this freaky at night. I sat down in a chair. The dim lights were turned on, and the councilman's shadow could be revealed in front of me. "So you're a firebender,huh?"

I confusingly nodded. "What about it?"

"You used firebending to damage city property and-"

"I damaged city property to protect innocent people! Apparently you don't care about them, though!" The firebender snapped.

The waterbender stood, "But you are still being charged for resisting authority."

Mako was left speechless as he was thrown into a cell where he found his brother. Bolin waved, "What's up?"

His brother slapped his forehead, "How long have you been in here?"

"A couple hours at the most. Asami's in the next cell. I kinda think she's mad at me."

"Why?"

"Uh, she still thinks that I liked Korra even though this should've been settled in the truck."

A fake cough could be heard from the female, "I can hear everything you're saying!"

Bolin asked, "Babe, are you still mad?"

A hesitant answer from Asami responded, "Well, I dunno. Maybe I can decide when we get out of here."

The earthbender sighed, not knowing what to think. Mako stomped, "Guys! Right now we have to focus on getting out! Korra said that she'll be here with Tenzin, but I guess that isn't going to happen so soon."

Bolin sat on top of the bed in the corner, "I wish I could metalbend." But the one fact Bolin kept on forgetting is that any earthbender could bend metal. He just kept ignoring that metal is just purified, yet still a piece of earth. The two former Fire Ferrets sat on the stone floor, filled with grief. Minutes, then hours seemed to pass by when footsteps could be heard.

"Chief Bei Fong?" They all exclaimed at once.

The former Chief nodded, and separated the metal bars in order for them to step through. Asami asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

The Chief chuckled, "My dear, I'm just one of those people who recover quickly."

She led them out, passing some guards who were knocked down onto the floor. They climbed out of an open window.

Mako looked around, "Where are Tenzin, Korra, and Tarrlok?"

She replied, "Tarrlok left before I came, Tenzin should be with the rest of the council, and I think Korra is at the Air Temple."

The group were about to leave when they stumbled upon Tenzin, "Lin! What're you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!"

The metalbender put her hands on her hips, "Well, at least I got them out before you did. And besides, you wouldn't be able to convince them to release these three, anyway. Action is much better than words."

Tenzin scratched his head, "Alright, but where is Tarrlok? He left in the middle of the meeting."

Everyone shrugged, but still wanted to find out where the councilman went.

A few blocks away, Jinora and Korra were on Naga, heading to the Police Station. The whole neighborhood seemed quiet, but it was midnight, after all. The citizens headed back home, but the power was still shut off. Korra didn't know how they would make it through the night, having to deal with the cold winter temperatures. Naga galloped at full speed, but suddenly whimpered to a stop.

The two girls stepped down from the saddle. Korra asked, "What's wrong, girl? Something bothering you?"

Her polar-bear dog still whimpered, and took a few steps backwards. Jinora was curious, "Maybe she saw another animal. No big deal."

Her friend didn't answer, so the airbender turned around, spotting fog in the distance. A figure in blue confidently stepped forward. Jinora was about to speak when Korra covered her mouth with her hand, "Jinora, go onto Naga, and head back to the island. Be careful."

The Avatar was looking in the opposite direction, looking at yet another fog cloud. The ten-year-old had to squint to see that figures in black were standing there, with masks that had glowing red eyes. Back and forth she turned her head, to see that Korra was surrounded by equalists and Tarrlok. Was Tarrlok working with the equalists? But she didn't have time to ask as her friend carried her on top of Naga. Jinora wanted to protest, but Naga was off.

She glanced back, only to see fire blasts and smoke bombs exploding. The airbender commanded Naga to turn back, but Naga knew better than to deny her own master. But this just made Jinora feel worse, as this probably made her a coward. The only action she could do now was to hold onto Naga's reigns and saddle, staying steady as the cold breeze swept across her face. Naga was running so fast that if Jinora got off now, she would stumble painfully, even with airbending.

They weren't traveling for long until the child saw her father and many others. She was so relieved that she hugged her father right after she dismounted. Tenzin was surprised, "Jinora! Okay, why is every single person suddenly popping up in the middle of nowhere? Your mother is on the island already. Shouldn't you be with her?"

His daughter answered, hot tears beginning to stream down her face, "I was with Korra. She wanted to get her friends out of jail, but then we were surrounded. I was forced to escape on Naga."

Mako's eyes bulged with the news, "Where is she, then?"

The child weakly pointed down the street, "A few blocks down, I think? Naga would know."

All of the adults turned to Naga, who was already halfway down the block. They followed when they heard an eerie scream. Mako exclaimed, "Korra!"

The firebender raced to where the sound came from. He gasped when he saw a dozen equalists sprawled on the ground, and of course, Tarrlok. "Where is she?" He demanded.

The councilman stepped aside as he revealed a fallen Avatar behind him. Mako was too late when Tarrlok held out his hands, making Mako crouch down in pain. Tarrlok used waterbending to create a big cloud of fog. When Mako stood, the fog had cleared, and the two waterbenders were gone. His girlfriend, gone.

The rest of his friends finally caught up, asking what happened. Naga clawed at the ground, as if Korra might of been trapped there somewhere. Mako cried, "She's gone! Tarrlok took her, and I could've stopped him if he hadn't used bloodbendi-"

He was interrupted by Tenzin, "Tarrlok used bloodbending? That's highly illegal!"

Asami investigated, "But what about these equalists?"

Jinora sputtered, "I told you. She was surrounded by Tarrlok and the equalists. She may have defeated the chi-blockers, but I don't think Korra knows how to defend herself from bloodbending." The girl couldn't take it anymore, as the word 'shame' kept on echoing in her head. She collapsed onto her hands and knees, unable to take the guilt.

Asami immediately comforted her, "Sweetie, it isn't your fault. Korra knew what was at stake, and she cared about your safety first. If you stayed, then you might have been kidnapped, too."

Jinora tried to be strong by wiping the tears away.


	9. History Lesson

**This is mostly based on episode 9. But anyone would admit that they're sorta glad Amon came in until he tried to kill Korra. But if he wasn't there then Korra could be even farther away from Republic City.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**Korra's POV:**

My eyes fluttered open to find myself in aching pain. Crap, I lose _a lot_, now don't I?

***flashback***

I saw Jinora safely riding on Naga, away from the danger I was in. The sight her light tangerine outfit shrinking in the distance. I was practically cornered by chi-blockers and-Tarrlok? What did he want? From the look on his face, it looked like he had enough, and was just begging for a showdown. But I was fine with it since I'm known as being the one who starts fights. So it was Avatar vs. Equalists vs. Councilman, since here everyone was against each other. No truces, no allies, we're all enemies here.

I turned in the direction to where the equalists emerged. '_Thank goodness Amon's not with them,'_ I thought. As Amon would turn out to be a great obstacle. I challenged at the men with masks, "What, the Lieutenant's not with you, now is he? Looks like he's been defeated one too many times."

And with that, I made the first strike. My fists alit, and I shot blasts at the ground in front of me. Tarrlok charged towards me, and I shot pieces of earth in his direction. I went on top of a building while they were distracted. I wasn't trying to run away, but just to see for myself if Tarrlok was really against the equalists.

But he wasn't. As soon as I vanished from the scene, Tarrlok waved his hands around to make the men kneel and grimace. Wait. Wasn't bloodbending such a dark art that it's illegal in Republic City?"

Tarrlok was about to walk away in satisfaction when many more guys in masks appeared. I jumped off the building and landed, my fist punching the ground. I made an earth wave, knocking a few of them back. I sent icicles around the others, trapping them in place. Now I stepped back to face Tarrlok. "Look, Tarrlok. Just release my friends. We've had a long night, and I don't need this."

He scoffed, "I just want you to do as I say. Maybe a few favors from time to time. Now is that so hard?"

I crossed my arms, "I'm not the kind of girl you would want to blackmail, Tarrlok."

"Well, that means you're against me, and you're looking for a battle." his expression looked dark.

I cracked my knuckles, "Why not?" I heard Mako's voice calling my name in the distance. "Looks like your _'prisoners' _escaped. So I'm just going to walk away like this never happened, Kay?"

I turned around just as I felt a water whip travel underneath my feet to trip me. I stirred around, holding my fists up in a ready stance. Just as Bolin showed me the first day I met him, I levitated chunks of rocks and punched them, throwing the chunks at him. He was really bad at dodging, so he was struck in the arm, hard. He managed to get up, and shoot icicles at me. I effortlessly melted them, making them evaporate.

Mako's voice came closer as I was forced to the ground. "Tarrlok! Bloodbending's illegal! What kind of Councilman are you?" I was on my hands and knees.

"Easy," he answered, "I'm not." and I collapsed with a_ thud._

The last person I saw was Mako, but there was a huge cloud of fog.

***(End of flashback)***

So where was I? No clue. I observed the environment. Of course, a wooden cell. I looked around, great. No water, or chunks of rock anywhere. My hands were tightly tied behind my back. My throat was too dry for my to let out a breath of fire and burn down the cell.

Master Katara used to tell me that you would need to go to desperate measures to gain any water to bend. But where? It's not like I can take the moisture out of my skin. But if I was sweating, then that would work. She called her own _sweatbending_ a lifesaver as she was held captive in the Fire Nation with Toph. The thing is that there wasn't exactly any moisture in the room.

It was cold, but a waterbender couldn't make anything out of dry air. I tried to swallow, but couldn't. I felt my palms and noticed that they were dry, too. What was going on? My eyes also started to get irritated every time I blinked. Even my lips were chapped. It was like I was dehydrated. Then I came to a realization. If Tarrlok was a bloodbender, then I guess it wouldn't be so hard for him to dehydrate someone by bending the moisture out of their skin, leaving just enough moisture in their bodies to keep them alive.

I coughed furiously, also remembering that I was sick. Being kidnapped was the last thing I needed. Now, I had to come up with an explanation with all of this bloodbending stuff. So discovered bloodbending and passed it to Katara. Katara didn't like using it, and started teaching her students everything else except bloodbending.

And who was that man in my vision? Oh, yeah. Yakone. He could bloodbend. And so could-Tarrlok! In fact, Tarrlok looked like Yakone! But how did they discover bloodbending? Maybe Yakone was one of Katara's students and accidentally let it slip? Or Yakone could've of just learned this himself and passes it onto Tarrlok.

_**(3rd person)**_

She heard the door open on the other side of the room as Tarrlok confidently stepped in. Korra looked away, still trying to piece two and two together. The councilman noticed, "Looks like you've got something on your mind."

She spat, "Like I would ever want to tell you."

He pushed the chair aside, ready to leave, "Fine, then. I'll leave you to your demise."

"And how do you expect me to just die here after being trapped for a few hours?"

He chuckled, "You'll grow weaker and weaker every day you're in here. I had you dehydrated, and I took a couple of pints of blood. Maybe more."

She was startled, "What? You can't take out someone's blood! That's sick!"

Tarrlok stood, "But I think that you're the one who's sick, Avatar."

But Korra had to know exactly what happened in the past. "Wait! Tell me how your father learned bloodbending."

His eyes widened, "My father? Why, I don't have one."

"Oh, I know you do. It's Yakone, isn't it?"

Tarrlok clenched his fists, "Yes, as history repeats itself. My father vs. Aang, and me against you. But it seems that I've already won."

Korra rolled her eyes, "I get it, but how?"

Tarrlok turned, "You're going to die here anyway, so I guess I should let you be aware. Master Katara had my father as a student. My father came early to class one day when he saw her arguing to a man about the art of bloodbending. My father was smart enough to develop his own skills and teach himself bloodbending. He moved to Republic City, disappearing from his waterbending class, or supposedly the South Pole. We all know that Aang found him there, he threatened the city and was pressed with charges, and everything else. Why do you think I despise Tenzin so much?"

Korra tried to take in the information. But she never thought that Tenzin was a _born _enemy of Tarrlok. Seeing the confusion on her face, he satisfyingly strolled out of the room. That means Tarrlok being councilman was just his cover so that he could take over Republic City while already being in charge of it. '_Stupid, but it made sense,_' she thought.

The Avatar felt ashamed of herself for being so blind, for never realizing how evil this man really was.

_**In the streets of Republic City...**_

Jinora followed the group, her eyes beginning to droop from lack of sleep. The child longed for a book to read, as she always read one before she went to bed. Her father let her sit on top of Naga while the adults kept on looking. Chief Bei Fong constantly stamped her foot on the ground, trying to feel any vibrations in identifying where Korra was. She grunted, "Nothing. But they couldn't have far."

Mako was pacing back and forth, thinking of possible solutions. He saw his girlfriend, desperately in need of help, but he wasn't quick enough to save her. But now he knew who created this conspiracy, Tarrlok. Everyone knew that he was trouble, but who could predict that he was a bloodbender? And without the full moon?

Korra didn't get the chance to tell him everything about bloodbending. But he might not be able to see her again. Maybe he would be too late and find her dead._ 'Stop thinking like that. She's fine,'_ He thought to himself.

Bolin and Asami were walking side by side, still not speaking to each other. Asami wasn't as mad at Bolin anymore, just confused about what to say. She knows that she hurt his feelings just a few hours ago, but she still wanted proof that he wasn't interested in Korra. But Korra was her friend, right? And Korra's head over heels for Mako. So why did she feel this way? Was it jealousy?

She looked back at Naga who's saddle was suddenly empty. Jinora was there a seconds ago. She was about to tap Mako on the shoulder when she found that he wasn't there, either. Naga sniffed in the air, and started running down a winding road. She probably sniffed out Korra's scent. I waved my hands to the others, "Over here! I think Naga found something!"

**Jinora's POV: (short)**

I decided to hop out of Naga's saddle and find Korra myself. Or, at least try to. I was soon interrupted by someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Mako, who looked concerned. "Where are you going?" He asked.

I could see why Korra liked him. He amber eyes locked with mine, as I mustered, "Um I uh, was going to-"

He stopped me, "I know that you want to find Korra, but I should come with you."

The polar-bear dog tilted her head curiously, capturing their attention. Mako questioned, "What is it, girl?"

Naga had something in her mouth, which appeared to be something blue. Mako took it out of her grasp, and saw that it was one of Korra's bracelets. She may have purposely left it for them to find. Naga went to inform the rest of the group, as Mako and I went ahead. We went on walking until we heard painful coughs below us.

I looked, but there was this tiny window which would lead to a basement. "That's where Korra should be," Mako said, "We have to get it open."

He tried the locks at the bottom, to no avail. I bet that I would be able to squeeze through. "Mako, I think I can make it through."

He was about to grab my wrist, by I had already slipped through. "Jinora! Are you okay?"

I whispered, "Yeah, I'll just yell if I get into any trouble."

He nodded, and stood guard. I carefully walked along, keeping my hands along the walls since it was so dark. A couple of candles were lit, but they weren't enough for me to see clearly. The coughing grew louder, and I could tell that it was Korra's. I forgot that she was still sick. I could faintly see a flash of blue, and I immediately crouched down to prevent the figure from seeing. It was Tarrlok, since it was the same person who appeared before Korra was attacked.

Tarrlok was calmly humming to himself, and walked up to the staircase opposite to the one I was on.

**(3rd person)**

Korra was slowly gaining the moisture back into her body and skin, as she was able to swallow again. She let out a weak cough as she tried to let out a breath of fire. With her right foot, she kicked a small flame, but not big enough to burn the cell down. The Avatar was still dizzy after her significant loss of blood. She rested her head by the wall of the cell, unable to hold it up any longer.

She felt like she was hallucinating when she saw someone standing beside her, "Jinora? Is that you?"

The girl nodded, and pulled out the knife that was sitting on the table. She steadily freed her friends' hands and feet that were bound together. Korra put her fist out, but only smoke reacted. Jinora knew that her bending was weaker because of her condition. The airbender then tried her best to cut through the wood, which she did.

The bars broke, revealing metal bars underneath. Korra realized this, and cursed under her breath. Korra glanced around hoping to find water, but didn't find any. Jinora got up and called, "Mako! Is Chief Bei Fong there?"

Korra snapped, "Jinora what are you doing? Tarrlok might hear you!"

Jinora shook her head, "No, I think he left already. I saw him."

Mako's voice replied, "Jinora! Everyone's here! Open the front door if you can!"

So Jinora did just that. She ran to the front and unlocked all doors. Chief Bei Fong came in first, bending the bars for her to step through. The Avatar steadied herself enough to stand. Her friends helped her up.

They all ran out into the cold night, relieved that they rescued the one person they were looking for. Korra was headed over to Naga when she couldn't fight the urge to crouch in pain. The others were doing the same, as Tarrlok knocked everyone off and ran into the distance. Mako was the first one to wake up, helping everyone else. Jinora rubbed her head confusingly.

Mako ran over to Korra, trying to shake her awake. His girlfriend was as pale as ever, as Mako never saw her be this weak before. Asami stood, feeling ashamed of herself for being mad at Korra. She stared at Bolin, as two pairs of green eyes locked. Bolin gave a wry smile, and Asami hugged him, as this was her official sign of forgiveness. But the mood suddenly changed as everyone look at Mako trying to nudge Korra awake.

She didn't respond, but Chief Bei Fong stated, "Relax, she's fine. Just very weak, that's all."

He turned to Jinora, "What happened to her?"

Jinora shrugged, "Easy there! All I know is that her fever got worse, but Tarrlok did something else. Something with that damaged her body."

Mako looked at Korra again, wishing that he could see her twinkling blue eyes again.


	10. A City Stroll

**I've been looking at the comments lately, and saw that someone said that I shouldn't be putting who's POV it is anymore. I appreciate the advice, but by me putting who's POV it is, I wouldn't have to type someone saying, "Mako, where are you?" Just so that you can tell that it's Mako's POV. Just as an example. And thank you to Jaguar Jenny, Aang'sGirlKatara12, OnlyxHuman, Ms. Lokita, rebex1213, and everyone else for commenting and on PM! :)**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Mako had been staying next to Korra's bedside for hours. He wanted to talk to the outgoing Korra who was full of potential. He looked at the damage caused by Tarrlok's bloodbending. Her face was covered in scratches, her wrists were bleeding, and she had bruises that she may have done herself in order to escape. This devastated the young firebender, almost never seeing Korra in this condition.

Korra's beautiful brown hair had been tangled as Mako brushed it away from her face. He also spotted a gaping cut in her arm. That one cut just wouldn't stop bleeding, which made Mako hate the councilman even more. The door nearly burst open as one of the healers came in. Her name was Ging, and she was-what's the word? Troubled at times.

**Mako's POV: -_(oh yes I did)_**

She panics whenever she makes a mistake, and just won't listen when someone tells her otherwise. She shooed me out of the room, saying that everything would be absolutely fine. But right now, it wasn't. Tarrlok must've damaged Korra's brain when he knocked everyone out. But since Korra was the weakest she was left comatose.

The healer said that will only be for about two weeks, but I really didn't want to stay here that long. From what Tenzin said, I understood that thankfully her knock-out wasn't like the one his father had. He told me that the Avatar spirit nearly died when he was shot with lightning. So he had to save the spirit by visiting the past four Avatars. But at least Korra wasn't in that situation, because she would be asleep much longer if that happened.

Bolin and Asami went out for an 'apology' date from what happened over the past few days. It was an actually nice winter morning, and I wanted to see the city again, while it was actually safe. At night, Republic City an extremely dangerous place. I strangely missed seeing the landscape. But I also wanted to stroll through the city again. Once outside, I rubbed his hands together, shoving them into my pockets.

**(3rd person)**

He silently walked among the crowd at Central City Station, blending in just like any other civilian. He approached a small crowd of children playing tag. As usual, Skoochy acted like he was the more mature one, chewing on gum and glumly resting his shoulder on a platform. The children saw Mako, and waved since they've known him for a while.

Skoochy waved him over saying, "Hey, Mako. Sorry about your girlfriend. I heard she's had a rough night."

This made me a bit suspicous. "Who told you?"

"Come on, pal. I know some people."

He crossed his arms, "Skoochy. Tell me."

The boy replied,"Alright! It was Bolin! A blabbermouth he was, too. But at least he's dating that Asami chick."

Rolling his eyes, he was on his way. Sighing, he got closer to the Pro-Bending Arena. Squinting, the firebender saw Butakha smiling at some workers he was talking to. I asked, "Hey, Butakha. What's all of this?"

The arena owner answered, "Ahh, Mako! Haven't seen ya in a while! I just wanna let you know that Pro-Bending's back on!"

"Really? But how?" He raised his eyebrows, but was smiling.

Butakha gave the teen a pat on the back. "My boy, you can rebuild anything with some well earned money. In this case, a whole arena! It may take a couple of months for construction, though. You and your friends still gonna pay afterward?"

Mako snapped, "Probably not with this war going on, and you need to increase your security. But as a word of advice, make sure the match officials don't get bribed."

The owner nervously chuckled, swiping his forehead with his sleeve. "Yeah, sorry about that. Just lemme know if you continue in the tournament."

The former player answered as he gave him a fake smile, and continued the walk. Then he came to City Hall where dozens of reporters were trying to get inside. Eyes widening as they ran over to him, they asked details about what happened last night._ 'Crap these people were annoying,' _he thought_._ But the world had to know the truth about Tarrlok. "Councilman Tarrlok kidnapped Avatar Korra last night. He illegally performed bloodbending on her, and now she won't wake up. Okay?"

They were silent for a second, then started to plague me with more questions. The boy finally made way through the crowd, only to find Tenzin standing there. Tenzin pointed out, "The more you tell them, the more annoying they'll get."

**Mako's POV:**

The both of us went up the steps only to find an old Water Tribe woman talking to the representatives. I inquired,"So why is everyone here, anyway?"

He said, "We're trying to figire out what to do now that Tarrlok's gone. We've named him a public enemy, even for breaking some of his own laws."

The old woman turned around, and I could almost recognize her, "Master Katara! It's an honor to meet you."

She did a respective bow, as I did the same. "So what brings you to Republic City?"

She had kind smile on her face. "I helped around at City Hall, as the Council decided to have the Southern Water Tribe representative also represent the Northern Tribe, as well. But I also learned about what Korra is going through. I was hoping to assist in her healing process."

I nodded, glad that a person like Master Katara finally came. We needed all the help we could get, after all.

**Asami's POV:**

I was calmly walking next to Bolin, our hands interlocked. I sort of missed romantic moments like this. But we skidded to a stop as Bolin waved to a boy. Surprisingly, Bolin blabbed on about everything that took place last night. I didn't want the subject to be brought up again, so I tugged at Bolin's sleeve. The boy looked at me, "Now what a pretty girlfriend you've got there!"

Bolin blushed, and I had to pull him away. He was almost dumbfounded, "What was that for?"

I turned, " Now wasn't this supposed to be our apology date?"

He slapped himself in the face, "Oh, Sorry! But where do you want to go first?"

I placed my hand on my chin. Maybe somewhere we haven't gone to together. Arriving, we both sat down next to a bush as I spread out the picnic blanket."

I yelped and dropped my sandwich as a man inside of a bush was staring at me. I wanted to make a kind conversation, "Um, hello there."

He had a grin from ear to ear, "Why hello, Ms. Sato! You're the Avatar's friend aren't you?"

Whoa. This stranger knew way too much.

I held out my hands,"Whoa, how do you know that much about me?"

"You can call me Gommu. I met the Avatar the first time she arrived here. And besides, you're famous as an heiress, and I was here the day you were attacked by those chi-blockin' fellas. I went to get the police force, but the only people who were here were those Equalist guys all worn out and defeated."

"Well, Gommu. It was very nice to meet you, but we kind of have a date going on here-" Bolin confessed.

But Gommu didn't seem to mind, " No problem! But you lovebirds have fun, okay?" he called out after claiming another bush.

I sighed in relief, glad he wasn't purposely trying to be a stalker. Bolin held my hand in his, so the rest of the picnic went well. Most people wouldn't want to have a picnic in winter, but that was fine to the both of us since we got to have the park grounds to ourselves. After we stuffed ourselves with food, we opened the doors to the nearby florist shop. I picked out some normal roses for Korra.

**Jinora's POV:**

I opened the doors to Ikki's bedroom, who was already jumping in her bed. She noticed my sadness and I laid back into a chair. "Sis?" she asked, "Something wrong?"

I felt the tears well up in my eyes, but held them back, "It's my fault Korra's like this."

"Huh?". She plopped herself down beside me.

"Korra told me to leave her last night. If I stayed, then maybe I could've helped more."

I could tell from the look on her face that she wanted to come up with something dad said. "Don't blame youself for another's action. It's nonsensical."

I was shocked. Since when was Ikki able to remember a beautiful quote like that? I got up on my feet as Meelo and Ikki followed me to the kitchen. My sister was awaiting a response so I told her, "You're a good sister, Ikki."

She jumped and spinned around on her heels, "Well that's because I'm you're only one! Besides Korra, but-"

I clamped my hand over her mouth as I saw a woman in a blue parka open the door to Korra's room. I ran over when Ikki exclaimed happily, "Gran Gran!"

My brother followed, "Yeah, you owe me candddyyyyy!" he called as he ran down the hallway.

I shook my head and grinned, taking my time going towards the room. I was happy, but what was Gran Gran doing here? Maybe just for a visit?

**I almost forgot that Butaka was a character because he only showed up in one episode, but what about Gommu? Also, I did some research on comas, and apparently I forgot that you can't just _wake_ a person from a coma. Feeling ridiculous, I finally got the chance to edit this. **


	11. Meeting Mingyu

**AHH! I've been browsing random Makorra tumblr pages, and they're so romantic! Awww. Especially some of those animated gifs? YESS! Anyway, I am a Makorrian, but I wanted Mako to be in a confusing relationship! Just to make the story be a bit more interesting.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Jinora wanted to wake the rest of the kids up, but she opened the doors to find empty rooms. On Jinghua's bed there was a note;

_Dear everyone,_

_Thank you so much, but our parents wanted us to leave last night. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about what happened a few days ago. We decided that we may come to visit often._

_-Jinghua, Cheng, Rulan, and Ying_

The elder sister passed the note onto Ikki, who was able to read most of it aloud to Meelo. Ikki and Meelo seemed excited to see the kids again. Pema added, "Hey, I helped them write that. They were really sad when their parents came to pick them up. But what were they promising not to tell?"

The three children pretended to whistle and ignore as the stepped into Korra's room. Master Katara asked Mako, "So how did this happen?"

"I think it had something to do with Tarrlok's bloodbending. We think it's brain damage." He pondered.

The Master turned to her grandchildren, "Were any of you aware of what occurred last night?"

The two younger siblings just shrugged, while Jinora was twiddling her thumbs.

"What about you, Little Ms. bookworm? Do you know?"

She stammered, "Korra had a really bad fever, and it got worse. Tarrlok dehydrated her so that she would have no way of escaping, and I think that he took out a whole bunch of her blood from that gash that's in her arm. Okay?"

The adults in the room were speechless. Katara shook her head, "Looks like I should have arrived sooner."

The old woman hovered her hands over Korra's forehead, down her shoulders. "Minor brain damage, and a terrific amount of blood lost. I can heal her in two days instead of two weeks, but I would also need your time and patience."

Ikki called, "How do you know?"

She reminded, "Bloodbending."

Meelo scratched his head furiously. "Huh?"

"Let's just say that bloodbending can be used for healing, too. But it's a bit complicated."

But Mako was glad to hear that she would be recovering in less than half the time. He closed the door behind him to see his brother and Asami laughing. He stated, "Seems that you two had a good picnic."

Asami giggled as she handed him the roses, "Here. It's for Korra."

Mako stared at them as they laughed their way down the staircase. He knew that they weren't making fun, but still laughing at each other and some lame jokes Bolin blurted out. But the firebender wondered, _'Were_ _they high?'_ Mako shrugged this off as he traveled down the plaza to pick up groceries.

It didn't take long for him to pick up the fruit and dumplings when Mako tripped and bumped into a girl. The grocery bags fell, and both people slipped, landing on their backs. The girl rubbed her forehead as she took Mako's hand to help her up. She spoke clumsily, "Oh-Sorry about that."

The two helped each other carry the foods back into the paper bags. A chuckle escaped from Mako's lips. The girl eyed him curiously, "What's so funny?"

He replied, "No, sorry. It's just that this reminds me of how I met my first girlfriend. She nearly ran over me with her moped."

She giggled, "Well, I guess that is a coincidence."

She quickly grabbed his hand and shook it, "I'm Mingyu."

He said, "And I'm Mako." returning the gentle handshake. Mako looked into Mingyu's light hazel eyes, and found that they reminded him of Korra's shining ones. Both of their eyes seemed to have beautiful glimmers. He finally snapped out of it and waved as he rushed out the market's doors. When he got to the temple, he found that there was no reason to hurry. In fact, everyone was calmly sitting around the large rectangle table, eating dinner. Bolin turned, "Hey, bro! Come and eat!" he called, patting on the seat beside him.

Mako shook his head and headed to his room and laid the bags down.

**Mako's POV:**

I sighed and sat on top of my bed. I couldn't help but think of how beautiful she really was. But I just broke up with Asami, and now I'm with Korra. What kind of person am I told break up with someone and date another just so that I could fall in love with someone else? To me, that was pretty messed up. Unfortunately, it was the perfect explanation for my life. Sort of like a love triangle?

Yeah, that's it. Guys get caught up into this stuff all the time, having more than one girl they like. But I barely know Mingyu. She could be anyone-an Equalist for all I know. Feeling reassured, I pushed the window by Korra's room and opened it. I peeped through it and could see that Master Katara was healing Korra's wounds. I entered, "Hi, Master Katara. How's she doing?"

The healer said, "She's healing pretty fast. She should be awake by tomorrow."

I smiled with excitement, "Oh, thank you! You really are the greatest healer in the world!"

She hesitated before saying, "Is that what really what people think I am? That's great, actually! But for now, you're the one who should get some rest. Did you see the bags under your eyes? Staying up all night and worrying isn't healthy for your own well being."

I made a small bow before laying back inside of my own bed.

"Take a shower too, for spirit's sake!" I heard the Master tease through the screen door.

I grunted before snatching a towel and gathering my clothing.

**Yay! Two chapters in a couple of hours. But I've forced myself to continue and finish with what I've started first. **


	12. Given Advice

**Ouch. I always have my earphones on too loud when the beginning sequences come as I'm watching LOK ar ATLA online. But the thing that hurts is that you hear a LOUD boom of music before the elements are represented. Another thing; I'm trying to type this while watching episodes over and over again while also finish my science packet, so there may be mistakes. I have a weird way of studying, I know.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Korra awoke with a grunt, unable to remember what happened the other night. She just remembered on the streets that Tarrlok showed up and then-blank. So what did happen while she was out? How long had she been here? She slowly sat up, her back resting against the headboard.

Her arm looked mauled as it was left covered in scars. But one of the scars seemed to catch her attention, one that was the biggest. She let out a large sneeze, forgetting that she had a fever and grabbed a tissue. The door in front of her opened, and she almost jumped when she saw Master Katara in front of her. "Sifu Katara!" she exclaimed, "What're you doing here?"

The old woman laughed, "I haven't heard Sifu in a while now, huh? But I came as soon as I heard what happened to you."

"And...What did happen?" She scratched her head.

The Master sighed, "I guess you couldn't remember, anyway. But two nights ago, Tarrlok captured you and was the one who put you in this condition. But luckily I arrived here just in time. It seems that he had you dehydrated and drained out most of your blood. That would explain the huge cut in your arm."

Korr glanced at the damage, "Do you know where he is now?"

She shook her head, "No, but he would be relieved of his council duties and seny straight into jail if we ever see him again. But the one thing I don't understand is how he was able to bloodbend without the full moon."

The Avatar replied gravely, " Yukone. Tarrlok's his son. He must've learned it somehow."

Her eyes widened at the news, "Why, of course! Why didn't I think of it before?"

Korra added, " But Tarrlok also told me that Yukone was one of your students, and he learned it by himself when he heard you talking about it."

Katara put her hand on her own cheek, "This is terrible. I didn't know that I was the cause of those monsters."

Korra was about to reply, trying to reassure her master. But Mako came running from the corridors, nearly bursting the screen doors open. "Korra!" He exclaimed, "You're okay, right?"

She nodded yes, and confirmed this with giving him a long and meaningful kiss on the lips. Katara found this as an awkward moment for her, so she exited the room. Korra called after her, " Master Katara! How was I healed so quickly if I was supposed to be out for two weeks?"

The bender happily answered, " Healing using bloodbending, and water from the Spirit Oasis. You should visit it sometime. Everything in it is very useful."

The Avatar was left comtemplating what she meant by everything. Her boyfriend felt her forehead again, "You do heal pretty fast. I think your fever's gone. Now it's just a cold."

Korra traced the scar on her cheek, as well as the injury on the side of her stomach. Mako frowned, "Where did you get those, anyway?"

"I think it was the chi-blockers at the time."

The firebender nodded and headed out, "I'll bring dinner over in ten minutes. For now, just get some rest."

Korra agreed and slumped her head back into her pillow. But what if Tarrlok came back and threatened the city just as his father did? Then Korra would need to know how she could stop him. She hadn't faced Amon directly for a while, which meant that he was probably working along with Hiroshi on some new and crazy machine by now. But wanted to learn bloodbending, just in case.

So that if Tarrlok ever showed his face again, she would really be prepared. No more being the helpless Avatar she was just days ago. She wasn't sure about Amon, but Tarrlok was going down for sure. But where was he? Korra didn't know, but Tarrlok couldn't have gone that far from Republic City.

Suddenly, Tenzin barged in, "Did he really tell you that?"

His student solemnly nodded, "Uh huh. He thought that I was going to die anyway, so he told me."

The airbender pulled a heavy blanket over her. Korra was cold, but the blanket she received was a bit too much. She lifted the blanket down to her waist, just letting it cover her legs. Her mentor informed, "I'll let Lin know. We will search all of Republic City for Tarrlok if we have to."

Korra stopped him, "Tenzin! Is bloodbending illegal to certain people?"

"Only if it's for the good of the people. But if anyone in the police force catches people using it for abuse, then they would be arrested."

"But what if you want to learn it to defeat a man who threatens Republic City?"

Tenzin cinched his eyebrows and looked at his mother who was standing out of sight in the hallway. But he hastily concluded, "Maybe."

The Avatar in training sighed, and propped her head on her palm. Katara knocked and met her gaze, "Don't worry, Korra. I'll teach you everything you need to know. But I will need to test you on your basic waterbending, again. Tenzin has told me that you've been turning to fire and earth for most of your battles."

Korra's face flushed, forgetting that since pro-bending ended, she has been using the other two elements than water. So she had to focus more on her natural element. Her teacher also leaned by the door and tossed her back her old water skin, "And Korra, I think you forgot something."

Her student smiled back, forgetting that she left her water skin behind before she arrived at Republic City. She put it on the table next to her, lying back down and waiting for Mako. She waited for a couple of minutes, and eventually fell asleep. Meelo peeked into the room hesitantly opening the doors. He poked her in the shoulder, "Korra. Hey, Korra. KORRAAA!"

Korra responded harshly, "MEELO! What?"

He wryly waved, "I just wanted to say hi."

She lazily said, "Uh, sure. Whatever. Hi."

Meelo ran out into the hallway yelling, "EVERYONE! I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS! KORRA'S BEING MEAN TO ME!"

She snapped, "First off,how? And it's almost eleven! Shouldn't YOU be in bed by now?"

The child scratched the back of his neck, "Oh yeah. But say hi to that beautiful woman for me! And make sure to borrow some of her hair!" He proclaimed while holding up a pair of scissors.

A shadow appeared on the wall beside him and Asami came, right on cue. She was already in her pajamas and yawned rather loudly. She looked down at the child before her, "Hey, Meelo. I think you should be headed to bed now. Don't make me tell your dad!"

Meelo gulped, snipped of a piece of Asami's hair, and was off with a dash. Asami swiveled around, trying to figure out what had just occured. Her friend giggled, "I think Meelo took his own request by snipping off your hair."

The heiress held up a lock of hair against the light noticing that it was missing a couple of inches and was uneven. "I needed a new haircut, anyway."

Korra looked at her face in the mirror, combing her hands through her tangled hair, "So do I. That's why I like to keep it up most of the time."

Asami reassured, "Now, Korra. Your hair's beautiful. Maybe if you let it down for a few days, then it could settle down to the style you want it to be."

"But what about when I'm fighting? My hair would always get in the way with that."

Asami's green eyes met her blue ones, "I can take you to the spa, but only if you're healed. I don't want you to hurt yourself just because of beauty. And besides, the stylists would surprise both of us since this time, I'm not the one doing the makeovers."

Jinora and Ikki popped in, "Ohh! Can we go too?'

The two teens agreed, "Okay, but you'll have to get up early tomorrow because we're leaving right after breakfast."

Korra crankily added, "Now, go to bed! It's late!"

The kids left, leaving echoes of laughter down the hallway. Mako entered, laying his hand on my shoulder. I winced, and he immediately let go, "Sorry. Is there something here? Or..."

He lifted the cloth from the shoulder of my shirt, revealing a huge scar, the path of it almost touching her throat. His amber eyes looked into hers, demanding an answer.

His girlfriend honestly shrugged, "I guess Tarrlok wanted to slit my throat? Something like that."

Mako got over all his pressure and sat down next to her, pulling her close. He cradled her her until both of them caught up on some much needed rest.


	13. Day out

**(LONGER A.N.)**

**A Day out! I know that I should've included this in chapter 2, but whatever because I already came up with the plot for this! Another idea for a one-shot in my head, but I should probably work on it later to focus on this and THIS STORY ONLY! Also, the cover picture for this story is pretty ugly, and I just cropped it from a picture I took at NY. That'll be edited soon as well for a whole bunch of other chapters. But school's almost over, finals are done, field trip is tomorrow, and this is making me go nuts! But... I'll manage. Some parts in here are from episode 10 which was EPIC. But one ironic thing that happens on LOK fanfics is that people post things that really do happen in future episodes, even if they didn't know it was true. But I was browsing through tumblr once again-and guess what I found? An animated GIF of Bolin and Asami eating with Gommu! See? Proof that even my fanfics are ironic to future episodes! I really wanna find out what happens, though.**

**A piece of advice; I love spoilers, actually. And if you don't then you probably shouldn't read fanfics based on the latest episode. Most of them are accidentally true, after all!**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Asami pulled on her coat, sniffing in the winter air as a refresher. She silently clamped her mouth with her hand to stop her from giggling. But she also took out a piece of paper and pen, writing a short letter to Mako and Bolin. The heiress etched on a couple of more words, placing it next to Bolin on the bed where she had been just minutes ago. Rapping at the door, she opened it, revealing an Avatar that was still sleeping.

Asami shook her elbow, and Korra blinked to see her. "Hey, Asami. What's up?"

"I told you to wake up early, now didn't I?" She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, hold on. But can I get changed, first?"

Korra stomped off into the bathroom, dragging along her change of clothes. Asami glanced at Mako, who was still sleeping. As he stirred, Asami laid yet another note on the bed where Korra was. Minutes later, Ikki ran towards her, appearing as a blur. She yelped before crashing into Asami knocking both of them onto the ground. She laughed, "Asami! Asami! I'm ready! Ready as can be! Super excited!"

Asami helped herself up, "So-where's Jinora?"

Ikki chatted, "Watch this."

The airbender leaned in towards Jinora's room, waving a book around as if it was bait. Her sister grumbled, refusing to get up. Ikki sighed, "Okay. I guess I'll just have to throw this book away then-"

"NO!" The elder sister shouted, immediately jolting up from her bed and grabbing the book just in time before it fell into the wastebasket.

Asami was impressed, "Nice thinking, Ikki."

Jinora huffed, "Tricks like that are cruel. Especially when you're threatening to throw away a book about a sea captain who gets lost and-"

She was interrupted by Korra opening the bathroom doors with her blue winter parka on. "So, what did I miss?"

None of the girls wanted to answer so she went on, "Well did you tell everyone that we're going?"

Asami remarked, "Sort of. But anyway, let's go!" She grabbed Korra's hand and was running towards the door. Jinora hastily slipped on her coat, grabbing Ikki's.

**Back in Korra's room...**

Mako was awoken by the sound of a door slamming a few rooms away. His arm landed on top of a note, much where Korra should've been. He confusingly read the note:

_Mako,_

_I took Korra and the girls for some "bonding time" together. I didn't bring Pema because she needs her rest. Korra's fine, so don't you dare worry about her. We'll be back soon._

_-Asami_

The firebender sighed, but glad that Korra was actually having fun for once. He checked on her condition last night, and found that she was already healed. '_Water from the Spirit Oasis does work miracles,' _He thought. Then Bolin strode by, heading to the beach. His brother called, "Bolin, you know Asami left, right?"

Bolin nodded, "Yeah. But doesn't it always feel like women are leaving us? Literally?"

His brother looked away, turning his attention to the window. Was it really the safest hour in Republic City? He sure hoped so. Because if he was wrong, Korra would be in a tough situation-again.

**In the City square...**

Jinora was striding alongside her sister when she saw... what? "THE LIBRARY!"

Ikki face palmed, completely impatient. "NO! I hate the library!"

With an exaggerated gasp, "Republic City Library is the best! You never read books, anyway!"

Asami soothed, "Girls, we still have thirty minutes. Nothing's wrong with checking out the library, okay?"

Jinora clapped and dashed through the doors. Ikki grumbled and followed at her slowest speed. The three gasped with astonishment as they saw how big the building was. The brown shelves seemed to tower over them, every slot filled. There was a library at the Air Temple that was similar to this, except that this was three times the size. Ikki ran over to a girl at whom looked familiar.

She was with two smaller kids and a-baby? Asami came closer to investigate. "Jinghua, what're you doing here?"

Cheng replied, "I was looking for my aunt. None of our parents were home."

Rulon cried, "Yeah! Where are our moms and dads?"

Asami looked around for Korra. She spotted a white and blue coat, assuming it was Korra's parka. Asami hurried to it, only to find a completely different girl sitting by a shelf. The heiress felt a bit foolish, "Oh, sorry. Your coat looked similar to my friend's."

The girl stood up, "Who are you searching for? Maybe I saw them pass by."

"Korra. She's wearing a blue and white parka like yours. She has the whole Water Tribe getup. Seen her?"

The girl pointed to the left, "The Avatar? She walked to the books about airbending. I'm Mingyu, by the way."

Asami shook her hand, and thanked her before arriving at the desired area in the library. Korra was squinting at a book when Ikki cheered, "Hey, Korra!"

The people around the group shushed, as Jinora came holding a pile of books that were too much to carry. She dropped them and hugged Jinghua when she saw her, "Jinghua! How're you doing?"

"Not so good. Our parents are always missing."

Korra and Jinora were shocked, "What?"

The girl explained, "I think it was those Equalists."

Korra raised an eyebrow. She tried to calm them, "Maybe you're just worried. They could've had another Council meeting or something."

Asami continued, "Yeah, you can even spend the day with us again. But this time, don't you dare run off again."

The children nodded as Ikki and Jinora were talking with their recent friends. Korra stole a last glance at the book she was reading. Jinora asked, "Korra, memorizing the moves won't help with your spiritual block."

The Avatar defended, "But once I get rid of that block, I'll already have the moves in my head!" Korra also received a look from a girl who she never met. She nudged Asami, "Who's that girl over there?"

Asami assisted Jinora carrying out all of the books, which proved to be a challenge. "That's Mingyu. She's pretty friendly once you get to meet her." Korra didn't approve of this because Mingyu sent her another foreshadowing stare.

But Ikki was relieved to exit the library, "So can we go shopping now? Please!"

Korra assured, "Fine. Let's go. But we'll only spend a few minutes at the toy shop, and then that's it! Okay?"

Ikki sped ahead of the group with airbending, nearly smashing the shop's doors open. The children ran after. Asami hinted, "Do you guys want to help us find toys for a new baby?"

They nodded, and joined Ikki inside of the shop. Asami looked at her watch, noticing the time. She turned to Korra, "I think we missed our appointment."

Korra didn't really care, anyway. She just wanted to make her friend happy with her changed lifestyle. In the end, they bought dozens of toys for the new baby. "We can still do some more shopping, anyway."

Her friend smiled, dragging the kids along with her. Hours seemed to pass by, and they had a pretty good day. But Korra never thought that she would enjoy shopping so much. She was carrying bags-six of them, even. Asami knew that they wouldn't make the walk with this much bags, and scanned the streets for the Satomobile. "Hey, Korra. Where'd you park the Satomobile?"

She pointed to a black car that was inches away from a post. She shrugged as an apology, and Asami understood. She didn't know how to drive, after all. "You want me to teach you?" She asked.

The Avatar hopped into the front seat and nodded. For the next few minutes, Asami showed her the basics. Korra slowly but carefully pulled back the lever and turned the wheel. It wasn't perfect, but Korra managed to get to the island. She exclaimed, "See! You're a natural at this, Korra!"

They hugged, and was interrupted as Mako stepped in, "What's up?"

Korra proclaimed, "I learned how to drive! I just need to practice parking, that's all." She also had an uneasy look on her face.

Mako was concerned. Did something happen that she didn't want to tell him? He knew what she felt, because he hid his feelings for her for such a long time period. "Alright, spit it out."

The girl blurted, "Excuse me?"

He raised his eyebrows, a sure sign that he was not playing games. Korra seemed to twiddle her thumbs, "Well-I'm just worried that the kids' parents have gone missing."

Mako was aware of this, but still sensed something else, "You and I both know that you're lying."

She sighed, "Fine. I saw this girl named Mingyu, and I don't really trust her as much."

The firebender corrected, "She's pretty nice. Just give her a chance. Maybe she would turn out like Asami. You know, friends?"

She grunted, and as a response he embraced her in a loving hug. They coursed it into a deepening kiss. Korra missed the sensation she had every time they kissed, as sparks seemed to fly. She pulled away when she could hear a faint sound in the distance. The Avatar listened closer as she came to the realization, "It's Pema!"

**Not that good of a chapter, but I'm kinda in a rush here people. But thanks, anyway! R&R!**


	14. Evacuate

**-**Episode 10 left me...what's the word? Depressed? Baffled? Something like that. All I could say was, "What the-"

_Next week on Legend Of Korra..._

"WHAT THE?"

As you can see, I am utterly saddened by what just happened. I mean, are they trying to get rid of Lin's badassery? *ahem* But it was sort of her way of saying, Tenzin, this is what you're missing out on.' At least Asami may have the chance of being with Iroh, and there may be some Makorra! Finally. **-**Back to this story. I'll try to make the next few chapters have good endings relating to episode ten, but no promises about the last one. I read over the first couple of chapters and found that some don't make any sense. I'll be correcting and spell checking.

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**Korra's POV**

I grasped Mako's hand as we made our way through the winding hallways. They were unusually empty, though. So where were the other air acolytes? Did they suddenly move to a different part of the temple? I guess they did, because everything seemed to be silent. I slid open the door to Pema's room to hear the sound of a newborn.

Mako and I moved through the crowd until we stood at the end of the bed where Pema was laying. I could see a cute baby boy with shimmering green eyes. "What'd you name him?" I inquired.

Tenzin couldn't hide the fatherly smile on his face, "Rohan."

The kids dragged in _all_ of the toys we bought for him earlier, proving to be a struggle. Pema thanked, "You kids were really thoughtful."

Ikki gently rubbed Rohan's chin, something that made him smile. Everyone in the room silenced for a moment, grateful that something nice occurred for once. We sat there for a while until a loud thump and boom made the room shake. Rohan's eyes were tearing up and started crying. Two and three more thumps were heard, almost like footsteps. Tenzin moved the curtains aside to reveal the window of a mecha tank in front of us.

Bei Fong ushered Pema and the kids out of the room, seconds before the roof was smashed by the metal claw. The two acolytes ran out, as my friends and I got into a ready stance. The mecha tank took no action, just standing still. The equalist inside was running away as I muttered, "Coward."

Mako reported, "Not so fast." He pointed to where the man was heading to, an Equalist airship. A large wire shot out, allowing them to use it as a zipline. No way were these guys taking over the island. I wouldn't let them.

Before Mako could stop me, I hoisted myself on the top of the roof and prepared to stop them from getting any closer. The Lieutenant was the first to land, his kali sticks electrified. As he spotted me, I summoned two streams of water and kicked it towards him with a perfect backflip. It definitely hit him, only knocking him back ten feet. Then my mind drifted back to when they attacked the arena.

So I just had to wait until his kali sticks were lit up, and attack with water to shock him. He charged, stabbing in every direction-missing me by an inch. The icicles I had impaled his arm, failing to delay him. Two chi-blockers jabbed my arm, and I got rid of them with two fire blasts from my feet. My chance came as the Lieutenant wore a sly grin on his face, sparks igniting from his weapon.

Using the moves I used in probending and airbending, I twirled and dodged his attacks. On my last cartwheel, my hand got cut with a rock. It didn't hurt much, but he used my distraction and kicked me in the stomach, making me fall back. He was going to electrocute me; but the thing he didn't expect was that I was holding two orbs of water behind my back. At the right moment, I threw the element at him, forming them into streams.

The stream overturned his arm to make the kali sticks face him, and I gave a lunge which commanded the water to make him shock himself. I did a victory jump when he toppled.

Naga came barking, but just a few seconds late. Mako hollered, "Korra! What're you doing? You could've gotten killed!"

I snapped, "I beat the Lieutenant, that's what! And where were you, anyway?"

He sighed, "I was about to go after you, but we needed to help everyone get out."

"-So, where are they now?"

He showed me to the courtyard, flooding with panicked people. I held my fingers out to my mouth and blew a loud whistle, something Naga was used to. The people froze, hoping that I would bring good news. Tenzin patted my shoulder, lifting his own hand, "Please, stay calm! We will evacuate the island immediately! Board a sky bison and split up so that they cannot follow!"

This left me skeptical. Does he seriously want us to leave? "Tenzin, I'm not giving up! I'm staying!"

He informed, "I don't want you to give up. Just for now, you and your friends have to flee from Republic City. Meet up with us back at the South Pole. The United Forces will be arriving soon. By the time we come back, we'll be prepared and have our allies with us. Okay?"

I reluctantly nodded as I watched the remaining acolytes get on their sky bison. Mako and I sat on Naga's saddle. I hissed, "Naga, don't throw us off this time. I _know_ you can carry four people."

The polar bear-dog grumbled, allowing Bolin and Asami to board. Tenzin and Pema were to travel with the airbender kids. With Lin, Katara and the Council kids on another sky bison. Another airship was spotted, releasing dozens of Equalists. Naga sprang into the cold water of Yue Bay, with Korra creating a bubble around them for air. It didn't take them long to reach the outskirts of the city.

Up in the sky, a flurry of white fur and brown spots appeared, the bison all pretending to go in different directions. But they all would eventually meet back up in the South Pole. The second airship struck the island with a five bombs, having walls and buildings crumble down. Naga resurfaced into the bay, giving the group a view of the chaos currently taking place. Civilians were running and screaming for their lives, although no harm came to them in the first place.

Police officers failed at calming them, for it only became worse. Korra sighed and elevated herself above the crowd with a rock pillar. Once again, she had to get everyone's attention-except that it was many more people this time. She shot an impressive flame in the sky, making many of them gasp. One man called out, "Hey! It's the Avatar! Isn't she supposed to be helping us?"

Chief Saikhan hollered, "She is! But what we need for you to do at the moment is evacuate in the next half hour! You need to understand that Republic City is being attacked, and it isn't safe! The United Forces will be here, but when they do, this city will be their battle ground!"

Some had disbelieving faces, while Naga barked at the sky. They looked up, at the many sky bison flying away from the city, convincing enough to listen to the police for once. Korra sighed, retreating back to her pet. She flicked the reigns, leading a clear path for the citizens. A voice stood out as opposed to the rest.

"Hey, Asami! Mako! Guys!" Team Avatar swiveled around in their seats to find Mingyu-again. She panted from her quick jog to them. Korra rolled her eyes, not completely excited to see this girl again. She nonchalantly asked, "Oh, Mingyu. Nice to see you again. Wanna come with?"

Korra mentally flicked herself for inviting her. Mingyu didn't seem to notice, enthusiastically nodding. Korra perked up when she found how there wasn't any more space in the saddle. "Sorry, but there isn't any more room for another on Naga."

Mako was so unaware of what Korra was feeling towards Mingyu that he said, "It's alright. Minguu can sit behind me, that's all."

The Avatar unwillingly let Mingyu sit behind Mako, having Mingyu holding onto his waist. Korra felt her eye twitch annoyingly, flicking the reigns once again. She had guided enough people out of the city to continue their own journey. The group continued until they arrived by the mountainscape, being blanketed in white. From a distance, it almost resembled Naga's vibrant fur color.

The polar bear-dog galloped at full speed, refusing to fall back. The horizon ahead was clearing of the sky bison, the flying animals splitting up into four groups. One of the red airships shot a net at Oogi's group, the net being split in half by what looked like a wire. Korra was amazed, "So I guess Bei Fong, Pema, and the airbender kids are heading South. Katara and the Council kids are probably with them, too."

Mingyu asked, " But where's the Council?"

Asami politely answered, "The Council's been missing, actually. The page told me this morning that they were never seen at City Hall."

Korra snickered, "And I'm sure Tenzin's glad that it's turn to be in charge."

Team Avatar set up their temporary camp. Mako and Bolin laid out the tents while Asami was setting up dinner. Korra and Mingyu's jobs were to collect firewood. Mingyu skipped along, "Here, I'll collect wood from this side while you take the other."

It was difficult to grab enough wood from the few trees by the mountainside, but Mako and Korra didn't want to light their own flame. They needed rest, by the way. Korra's brown boots had snow crunched as it came in contact. She bent down to pick up a few logs. The Avatar headed pretty deep into the small forest, but it was large enough for anyone to get lost. She summoned a flame in her palm, having it flicker by the wind.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a darkening figure. "Who's there?"

The figure stood still, something Amon would've done if he were to intimidate her. Korra was growing impatient, the flame she was holding growing as she took steps closer. With Korra's fourth step, the figure faded. Korra kicked herself, "You're going crazy, Korra. Just an illusion."

The waterbender turned, but stumbled back when the shadowy being was in front of her. The figure raised his hand which had a deafening screech fill the air. Korra covered her ears, shutting her eyes closed. But finally, the screeching stopped. Korra wobbled when she stood, whatever that thing did to her left her with a headache. She wasn't the stay-and-chat type, this was proved by how she sprinted without turning back. She exhaled deeply-leaving the warm air form a cloud in the winter temperature. _'I'm definitely going insane,' _she thought. That thing couldn't be Amon, because he would have gone chasing after her or sent chi blockers to capture her, at the least. Besides, she didn't see a mask.

So who or what was the figure? Korra pondered this, but still went on her way to running back to the campsite. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, approaching the opening and out of the woods.


	15. Discussion

**One satisfying thing about the book 1 finale; MAKORRA FTW! To Asami fans, we all know that she deserves someone, too. Iroh or Bolin? Depends on what the fandom says! And thank you to everyone who added this to their alert and favorites list. Turns out, 37 people did that in a short amount of time,( I counted) So that encouraged me to finish this chapter as soon as possible! R&R!**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**Asami's POV:**

I was just done preparing dinner when I heard a sudden panting sound around the corner. Mingyu just got back with the firewood, setting them down beside me. Mako lit the fire, when I signaled him over, "I think I hear someone,"

The two of us came closer to the panting noise and found that it was Korra. She had a dozen of tears in her eyes and lept into Mako's arms as soon as she saw him. Her hair was tangled, completely out of place. I patted her back, trying to comfort her. She strained, "I think. I'm. Going. Crazy."

Bolin jumped out of nowhere, holding two cups of- "Leechi juice! Thirstiness, get out of the way!"

I shot him a glare that said, _'Horrible timing.'_

"Korra, don't talk like that. You're just tired. That's all." Mako had her arm over his shoulder, supporting Korra into the tent nearby.

Mingyu put her hand to her chin hopefully, "I hope she's okay." But something in her voice made me suspicious. Mingyu had to know what went on. She was the one to help Korra collect firewood, after all. But she probably didn't have a clue because they obviously changed courses in the woods, and Mingyu emerged out of the woods a few minutes before Korra met up with us. The girl in question rolled her hazel eyes over to Asami, who didn't notice that she was eyeing her until moments after. She shoved her dark-brown hair behind her ears kinda awkwardly, staring down deeply at the crimson flames that billowed at the middle of our campsite.

She slumped down in her blue sleeping bag, undoing the hair tie that held the braid on the side of her head. Her head turned up to the sky, stargazing. So this girl right here was quiet, nice, and-friendly. On the trip here, she laughed at all of Bolin's jokes, complimented me, and asked Mako questions only a former Fire Ferrets fan would bother to mention. The one thing that gets to me is why she is so pleasant to everyone else except for-Korra.

Inside of the tent, Mako assisted Korra to sit down on the bed. Naga licked Korra's hand, her one sign of affection. The Avatar snuggled under the covers, Mako sitting at the foot of the bed. Korra didn't bother to take a bite of her dinner, she had too much on her mind at the moment. She inched the bedsheets closer and up to her nose. Her boyfriend was desperate for answers, "Tell me everything."

The teen rubbed the back of her neck, not wanting to hold the truth from him. "I saw this weird shadowy figure come at me. It made this screeching noise that was so freaking loud that it made my head throb, even."

"Was it Amon?"

"No, it didn't have a mask on. And maybe it's a spirit?"

"Korra, why would the spirits even want to bother? I mean, in the middle of a war?" mako grunted in annoyance, "Surely Mingyu was there to help you, right?"

"Nope, we split up. I guess I headed down too deep into that forest." She said before tucking her head into her pillow.

Mako brushed his hands over her brunette hair gently, "Now just go get some sleep. We can figure everything out later."

Naga circled around four times until settling in her spot that was next to Mako and by the bed, following Korra's lead in catching up on rest.

Asami saw Mako exit the tent. "How'd it go? Is she alright?"

Mako hastily reassured, "She's fine. Nothing to worry about."

Asami had whispered everything she knew about Mingyu into Bolin's ear, all of her suspicions. This made Bolin perk up, jumping from his seat on the ground. "Alright, Mingyu, let's get to know each other!"

Mingyu, half-awake groggily stood from her sleeping bag. She crossed her arms, "What for? Bolin, don't you have a curfew or something? It's the middle of the night."  
Asami desperately tugged on Bolin's sleeve, not wanting him to know that she was onto Mingyu. But with no avail, the earthbender shot a finger towards his girlfriend, "Asami! Your turn!"

"...And what am I supposed to do?" The heiress almost stumbled back as his finger was inches away from her face.

Bolin sighed, as if he were asking her a question that was a no-brainer. "Tell us one fact about yourself so that Mingyu can learn more about her new teammates!" he cleared his throat and raised his thick eyebrows, something he did when he wanted her attention.

But the heiress didn't seem to follow.

**Asami's POV:**

I had no idea what Bolin was trying to accomplish in doing this little game, but I just agreed to sputter out a fact about myself, "I'm Hiroshi Sato's daughter, and-"

She cut me off, "Yeah! I remember you! You turned against your father and sided with these guys, am I right?"

How rude to talk about it like it was a subject you would want to be talking about to your friends. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, but kept my cool and replied, "Sure, if you put it that way."

Next was Bolin's turn. He coughed into his fist again. Did he have a problem with his throat, or something? A weird guy, for sure. But still, I love him for it. "So as you all know, I'm Bolin, and I'm an earthbender!"

Mingyu grinned with enthusiasm, "Bolin, we can see that. Maybe something like, your age?"

"I was born 154 ASC!"

Mingyu continued, "So you're sixteen, then."

Bolin nodded. What a goofball he was sometimes. He fist pumped in the air, "Yay! So now it's your turn!"

Mingyu hesitated before answering, "Um...I'm a sixteen year old, and I'm adopted."

Then all of the guilt came crashing down on me. But Bolin once again, wasn't able to notice. "Hey, that makes perfect sense because mostly everyone in Team Avatar so far has something messed up with their parents!" He instantly regretted his phrase when his grin turned into a small frown. "Mako and I were left alone because a firebender killed our parents right in front of us."

Mingyu and I shot him sympathetic glances. In his nature, Bolin always knew how to make a good outcome out of any event. "But then I never would've met you guys."

My eyes glistened at the thought, because it was true. Dad always said that everything happened for a reason, but I never would have that that he would be the person to cause it.

"But I guess that Korra didn't have any problems now, didn't she?" I swiveled to look at Mingyu, who crossed her arms and huffed.

I sighed, scratched my head and got up. Mingyu just didn't understand what Korra has been through so far. Reluctantly, I added, "Mingyu, could you just meet me outside of my tent? I think that we need a talk."

She unwillingly stomped back to the desired place in the campground. Bolin called, "Don't forget! It's my tent, too!"

Almost forgetting about him, I grabbed his sleeve and sat him down. He looked up at me with puppy eyes, huge green and cute eyes...nevermind! "Bolin, explain to me what you were doing back there."

My boyfriend stretched the collar of his sleeve, trying to find the right words to say. "You did say that you wanted to know more about her, so I went right to the point where she would tell us something important."

Finding out she was sixteen would 't exactly help with the situation, buy the adoption part certainly did. "Okay, but you at least could've told me what you were planning to do, first!"

Bolin gave me his trademark smirk, turning towards Mako's tent. "I guess Mako went back to his and Korra's tent. But did you realize how nobody got to eat their dinner yet? We should-"

I ended his statement with me pinning him down and kissing him lovingly. The kiss lasted long enough for us to part and catch our breath for a second. "Shut up and stop changing the subject," I added.

But then I was reminded of someone clearing their throat in the distance. Of course it just had to be Mingyu. "Am I interrupting you guys, or..."

"No! No, it's fine." Bolin stuttered, pulling Pabu and himself, retreating into the tent.

The girl was tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. Was it me or did her attitude just completely change in the last few hours?


	16. Apologies

**NOOOO! I AM SO SORRY guys! My computer crashed and I had to type this on my phone, (again). I haven't had any access to a computer to upload it to fanfiction, and I felt pretty bad. To make it up, I'm publishing more than one chapter today!**

_**-fuschiaphoenix**_

Mingyu was waiting by the tent, her straight hair and bangs covering sections of her face. Her tall wedge boots scraping at the ground with her heel. Asami approached her silently, deliberating what she should tell her. The soft rays of moonlight shone, reflecting upon silhouettes. The heiress pursed her lips. Should she bother with asking what happened to her parents? Or would that just make matters worse?

Or should she just go straight to the point and ask what the problem is? Emerald eyes met hazel, bringing her out of her preoccupation. The dark circles upon Mingyu's face were visible, telling that Asami had to get straight to the point.

**Asami's POV:**

Well, I hope that it would be okay if I asked her about what happened. Bolin finally left us alone, so it wouldn't be that awkward anymore. I sat myself down in the snow-covered grass and she did the same. Pulling my legs up closer to my chest, I glanced over at her. "Mingyu, I get that you may be having a hard time right now, but I would like to know what happened in your family. Letting out the truth will make you feel better. And if things get complicated, I'm here to help. As a friend."

I forgot to mention Korra who was supposed to be the purpose of this discussion. Direct approaches don't always work so well. And I learned that from the Avatar of Bad Convos. That's how she always got into arguments with Mako, anyway.

Mingyu scratched her head, "I have been kinda frustrated, lately. For the past few hours, I've kinda been taking it out on Korra."

Now we were getting somewhere. "And how come?" This was easier than I thought!

"Ever since my parents were murdered by the Si Wong Triad, my life wasn't the same."

"Wait, Si Wong Triad?" I never heard of them before.

Mingyu let out a dry chuckle, "Not everyone was murdered by firebenders, you know. But my family was living in the Northern Water Tribe, where I was born. My father loved to travel, so he convinced my mother to have us move to Republic City. My father wasn't concerned about the triads until it was too late. My parents went out for dinner, but turned in at the wrong street. Members of the Si Wong demanded money, but they refused."

I laid a hand on her shoulder, "Same thing happened to my mom. My house was being robbed. The Agni Kai Triad killed her in the process."

Mingyu let a gentle and silent tear roll down her cheek.

**(A.N. Now doesn't everybody love the *magical tear?* If you don't think so, watch the last five minutes of the season finale and say it to my face.)**

"I was nine when I found out the next day as my parents didn't return home after that night. I spend just a year at a nearby orphanage when I was adopted. My new family only adopted me because they thought I was pretty. They gave me money, housing, and everything anyone could have wanted."

She paused, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "But the one thing I wouldn't have gained was love. Sure, they took me in, let me live with them. But it's not like they ever paid attention to me. They just appreciated their other daughter. Because she could waterbend, and I couldn't."

So she hated waterbenders? That would explain the whole blossoming rivalry thing. "-And that's why you're taking it out on Korra, huh?" I asked.

Mingyu shrugged, and I understood. It was just minor jealousy going on. Cinching my eyebrows together I thought, _'But she isn't an Equalist, is she?' _

She reacted, as if reading my mind, "It's not that I'm against benders of anything. I just wanted to be born one. Because bending is an awesome gift, after all."  
"I understand. But maybe you can apologize to Korra in the morning." I yawned. This conversation had to end; very soon. Beauty rest is the one thing I haven't gotten in days with all this stupid chaos.

"Sure, I will." She twirled her locks of hair in her fingers before giving me a light hug. Staring back at the campsite, I sighed. The food I prepared was left untouched. Did they hate my cooking that much?

The following day was the time for the group to move on. Bolin stumbled out of his tent first. Asami stepped in momentarily. "What was that for?" The earthbender winced.

The heiress tsked, "First of all, I'm trying to get some sleep. Sleep I haven't gotten in days! Second, you don't wake your girlfriend up by jumping on top of her when she's half-awake! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Bolin brushed off the conversation, reminding himself of how girls get cranky in the morning. Asami on the other hand, flipped her hair over her shoulder and huffed. There was no use of getting back to bed. So she pulled a dark sweater and began getting dressed. Meanwhile, Korra and Mako packed bags and gathered supplies onto Naga's saddle. Mako started, "Korra, why don't you have your parka on? You might get sick."

"I've faced worse. Besides, I'm use to this weather, remember? Why are you so concerned?"

Mako turned his head to Korra's arm, not a single goosebump in sight. He was astounded, but this also reminded him of the bleeding gash that was no longer visible in her arm.

He was shocked back to reality as Korra gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "Hey cool guy, I was asking you a question, remember?"

"Oh. Um, I just wanted to tell you that after what happened last night, you've gotten me worried. Please, just tell me and then we can drop the subject."

Korra took a deep breath, "Mingyu and I split up in different directions to cover more ground. When I went a little too deep into the forest I started hearing things. I headed back when this weird shadowy thing came up to me and made this loud scream that almost deafened me."

Mako embraced her slowly, "Just don't worry about it. We'll meet Tenzin in a few days and maybe he'll know."

Korra always loved that about Mako. He was always comforting when they _weren't _in an all-out argument. The other Water Tribe girl approached the duo, a small wave from her hand. Her target raised an eyebrow, gesticulating that she just ruined a moment. Mako didn't seem to be as aggravated. "I'm just gonna go-since it looks like the two of you have something important to discuss." And with that, he took a couple of awkward steps away from the two girls.

The Avatar huffed, yet still administered a faked smile. Mingyu did the same, a simper emotion on her face. "Korra, I know that you'd like to blame me for everything that's happened so far. But I assure you, that I never meant any of it. You can stay mad at me for all you want, but all I want is for us to be friends." She earnestly turned around.

The waterbender stepped in front of her, "Wait. I know you didn't mean for anything to happen. I hope that we can be friends, and I-" she cleared her throat, "I forgive you. It's just that weird things have been happening, and I kinda blamed you, even if I'm sure you had nothing to do with it."

The tribal girls shared friendly smiles, both moving on to attend to finish packing up their supplies.

_*****Seriously, I am literally tearing up right now. I just have to say that I appreciate all of you other fans of LOK out there! You have made my wait for season two manageable. I mean, really! All of the fanart and music got me right in the FEELS! It's just unbelieveable of how amazing you guys are. If you don't believe me, go to tumblr, deviantart, or look up Korra Medley. That medley was just awesome.**_


	17. To Get There

…**.And here's chapter 17! For the next couple of weeks, I want to add more sophisticated words instead of rushing through them to make scenes a bit more...explainable? I'm bad at this already. Anyway, be prepared for Makorra week hosted on deviantart! I can spend hours on that site. **

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

* * *

Mingyu slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, looking askance into the snow-dotted woods. She scanned until she saw something that made her smile with much motivation to jump up and down wildly and wave her arms up in the air. Three beings in blue attire sauntered nearer, Mingyu catching their attention with her constant flailing of hands in the air and vociferation. Bolin and Asami furrowed their brows, their faces filled with concern. Bolin catechized, "And, who are they?"

The girl cooly acknowledged, "Relatives. I thought that I lost them in the whole riot that went on yesterday."

The heiress turned pale as she apprehended who the people really were. The three friendly figures pulled on dark masks and green goggles, with what looked like electricity igniting from their palms. Their solemn stroll extended into a sprint. The tallest of the group ran in zig-zags, the very concept all too familiar to Asami. Bolin hollered with chagrin, "Why can't we just get a break from these freaks? I mean, isn't the Lieutenant tired of stalking us?"

Asami on the other hand kept her emotions in collectively. She even didn't bother to glance at Mingyu. Korra hauled herself over, "What's going on?"

Bolin pouted his lips, "Ask Mingyu! She tried to invite those guys over here!"

The person in question stopped her ranting and raving at that second. Her eyes were wide, as if in shock.

"_Invited? _What do you mean invited?" Mako and Korra both shouted. The earthbender pointed to the three Equalists, and immediately created a massive dome of shelter which would hold them off for the time being.

The two firebenders lit small blazes from their fingertips, as their gazes traveled to Mingyu. Asami petted a whimpering Naga, who was currently clawing at the encased walls around them which made no result. Pabu oppositely laid down with his head tucked under his arm for a short rest. Pulling out an impressively detailed map of the city, Asami scooted over so that she could view it with the assistance of the burning flames for light. Tracing her finger over Yue Bay, she stopped at one specific location. Marking it with a star and jumped up in triumph. with her new plan. Then she lifted up the map for her teammates to examine further.

Without warning, the Northern Water Tribe native suddenly broke down into tears. Mako reluctantly patted her back. The Avatar noticed how much force they put into their accusation without even asking. "Look, Mingyu. You probably just had those guys-"

"_Evil _guys, to be exact." Bolin blurted.

Korra rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I'm sure those _evil _guys just looked like people you knew."

The girl nodded, "Those three were disguised to look exactly like my relatives. Those Equalists are insane. Who do they think they are to make fun of my aunt, uncle, and cousin like that?" She corrected herself, "I mean, I would love to see them again-they must be evacuating the city and worried sick about me right now. And if I didn't run away, then I could see them again."

"It's alright. We'll find your family." The raven-haired girl heard the entire confession, and tried to reassure Mingyu with some encouragement. "But anyway, we need to find a way safely to the docks."

Mako examined the map, "And where are we supposed to go once we get there?"

Asami chirped, "You didn't think Tenzin would expect us to make it all the way to the South Pole like this, now did you? We just have to get to the docks. Tenzin had one of the air acolytes stay behind and wait for us in a boat or submarine. We have to choose."

The rest of the crew immediately came up with a consensus. "Submarine, of course!"

Asami nodded in agreement. "He's disguised as an Equalist, but we need to tell him a code or something. It knew it was a name..."

"Was it from Tenzin's family?" Korra rubbed her chin.

"Yeah. It began with an 'R'."

"Rohan," Korra befittingly answered.

"Bolin, can I see what's going on outside?" Bolin lifted Asami on his shoulders, creating a small window at the top of the dome to see through.

Five minutes passed until she got the information acquired. "So, all we have to do is get past the Lieutenant, the mecha tanks, get into the submarine, and we're off!"

Korra never did well at holding in grudges against her enemies, "We'll kick the Lieutenant's ass like we did_ so _many times before, and spirits forbid that Amon is there."

Mingyu blinked continuously, not knowing what to think. "Uh...What are mecha tanks?"

Bolin pulled a smirk, "My dear Mingyu, mecha tanks are enormous robots that are..."

His brother's flame grew larger, then settled down into its usual state, "They're easy to beat. From what I saw, Korra just has to flood the pipes, Bolin needs to disable their movement by knocking the ground from under them because they aren't able to get back up. I guess that I can redirect the electricity, I'm kinda new at it. Asami and Mingyu will run ahead and tell the acolyte the password, and get into the submarine while the three of us hold them off. After that, we're home free!"

The other four teens were disconcerted at the sudden outburst-yet brilliant plan. Both of the non-benders stood in front of Bolin, ready to charge at their current challenge that awaited them. Bolin raised his hands above his head, "Ready?"

* * *

His friends nodded. Korra was tightening her armbands. She did not wanting them to fall off during the battle. The water skin was at her side, making sure to have it helpful now that it was in her possession. Asami flexed the electrical glove around her hand. Her long hair tied back since it was usually in her face. Mingyu gulped, she had never seen the Krew in action with her own eyes. But she had to focus one thing; get to the submarine safely.

Mako's palms were sweating- he didn't want that. It was just going to diminish the intensity of his flames. He thought about the mecha tanks, and was reminded of his lightning redirection. He most_ definitely_ didn't want sweaty palms in redirection- he would pretty much electrocute himself. After wiping his hands on his scarf, Bolin's sudden scream of, "GO!" snapped him out of his reverie.

The earthbender flexed his wrists. This transformed the dome into shards of earth, all of them tossed at the mecha tanks. Mako scanned the grounds for any giant claws, but there were none. Asami and Mingyu tumbled into a wall of the mecha tanks, unable to approach the docks any further. Korra summoned water, her fist cluched together to harden and freeze them into icicles. With simple trajectory, they were launched to break the windows and flood the engines once Korra melted them. Bolin punched the air, lifting the ground from under the metal machines to knock them over.

Dozens of Equalists stumbled out of the machines, most rubbing their heads in annoyance. Mako was caught off guard with a cable, sensing the electricity course through, until he transferred it to his arm to his very fingertips. Korra shrieked, unaware of his ability and expecting him to be taken aback. With Mako's success, he stepped over with a slight smirk. "Thought I was gonna die there, now did you, Miss Avatar?" he teased.

Korra didn't have the opportunity to stifle a laugh before Mako dodged her roundhouse kick. He was about to scold her when he glanced at the chi-blocker that was trying to get back on their feet. "Now what was it you were saying city boy?"

The firebender rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he was able to guess a chi-blocker was behind him.

Naga wistfully smacked the Lieutenant straight in the face with her paw. Pabu laid sleepily on her saddle, Naga galloping like the billowing wind that filled the atmosphere. Bolin glanced back at the two girls who were waving their hands to motion them over.

* * *

***** As I read about details from the 2012 Comic Con...I-I can't. I was hyperventilating when I found out that we were getting what? THREE MORE SEASONS! **


	18. Phase Two

**It's tiring to come up with this weird grammar stuff. So trust me that I have tried my best with the last chapter-which was terribly short in my opinion. But only a few more chapters and I'm done! ….Which I would count as phase one of the _entire_ story. Muahahahah. I'm also forgetting about the characterization. That's being fixed. This chapter was a bit easier to write.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**BOLIN's POV:**

'_Fudge. Fudge. Fudge. Fudge. Fudge. Fudge-' _I was panting, really tired-wait, yeah. Pretty exhausted. The only thing I could do at the moment was dodge the next wave of chi blockers. I mean, these guys came out of nowhere. For a second, it was all quiet, and then these guys appeared! I ran far enough, about halfway down the field. My shoes were caked in mud, and all I could feel was the blood pounding in my head.

Korra took the pleasure of leaving the mecha tanks in ruins. She did a good job. Pabu and Naga had no problem getting to the docks. But only because Pabu was on Naga's saddle the entire time. Mako jumped in beside me, having the back of his palm sweep across his forehead with beads of sweat. "Bro, you alright?" he hollered.

"I'm fine! We just need to get outa here!"

The three of us were holding them off pretty well. At least it wasn't Amon or Tarrlok, anyway.

Asami was jittery, she couldn't just watch them fight. She always wanted to help. But with the uprising wall of Equalists at foot separating her from her friends, there just wasn't a way. The acolyte ushered her and Mingyu inside, latching Naga onto a second part of the submarine. Pabu lept onto Asami's lap with a nearly inaudible squeal. The fire ferret's red fur brushed against her palm as she petted him.

Examining the submarine, it looked like an unusual model to her. Her father's previous sketches of submarines looked nothing like this. Asami also noticed a big line going through half of the machine, the only way through were two small metal doors aligned. The acolyte sensed her concern. "This submarine can split in two, you see. It's meant for an easier escape. But this submarine was an unfinished model, after all. As for those two doors. The first one your step out in keeps the oxygen in here, draining any water that comes in before you open the second door. The second one lets you evacuate as you can just dive into the ocean. I prefer the hatch, though."

_**(If you have a hard time making sense of this, it's kinda like how spongebob and patrick can get into Sandy's treedome without letting all of the water in. Weird, but I guess that fits.)**_

"So, what's Naga doing on the other side?"

"That furry creature couldn't possibly fit in here, so I put her there with all the space she needs. But don't worry, it's not going to launch unless I detach it with that switch and lever."

Mingyu coughed, telling that enough was said. The Water Tribe girl had her back against the wall, the lever next to her. "I'll make sure nobody touched the lever, okay? The switch, too." Asami pursed her lips, unsure about Mingyu's offer. What if she was clumsy and accidentally left Naga at the bottom of the ocean? She shook her head and held it in her palms, not allowing her to think of such a scenario. The porthole window gave the two women a perfect view of the ongoing battle still raging outside. Bolin would want her to remain inside where it's safe, but she just couldn't.

The line of Equalists was ceaseless, their numbers never ending as they surrounded the trio. Setting Pabu down, she began walking over to the hatch. The first one was opened easily, she climbed into the space inbetween. Before she could open the second hatch, someone grabbed her foot and yanked her down to the steel floor. The heiress groaned, she landed on her knee and shoulder and could have pounded her head. "What the heck was that for?" She screamed at the acolyte.

Mingyu cautiously approached the raging girl. Asami sat up and looked at her expectantly. "Asami, you can't leave."

"And why not?"

"Because I don't want you to."

"What?"

The brunette turned her head to the acolyte who was silent for the remainder of the argument. "I'm his daughter."

"Mingyu, that isn't something that I need to know right now! I want to know why that dumbass won't let me help them!" Asami stomped.

"Because the leader won't let you if he was here, either." She choked out as if saying so were committing a crime.

The older woman snatched Pabu from where he was resting and hesitantly back away toward the nearest wall. "How could I have been this stupid," She spat. "All of those tears, sob stories, and reasons were fake, now weren't they?"

Her eyes were boring into Mingyu's who began to falter, "I-I.."

"I what? You don't think that I've had enough already? You sick people can't see that we've had enough of these lies? Those three 'benders' out there are the only people I have left! I thought that I had one more person to trust, but I guess I have to be betrayed once again, now don't I?"

The 'acolyte' removed his Equalist 'disguise' and exposed a long mustache as he turned around. "Too bad," He muttered. "Your father's had me on a mission just to retrieve one little brat who still doesn't know her place in the world. But after so many weeks, I can finally move on once this is over."

A half-hearted chuckle escaped Asami's lips. "What, no electrocution this time? Or how about burning me alive? Did that work out for you the previous time you tried?"

Mingyu flinched at the idea. She was sobbing, never even wanting for this to happen. "We can still be friends," she continued. "We can work with Amon and your father." Pabu scampered to the nearest corner when Asami set him down once again.

The heiress couldn't care less about what Mingyu had just muttered, or that that she wasn't currently equipped with her Equalist glove. "Bring it."

The Lieutenant was the first to strike with his trademark flip. He was hit square in the neck thanks to the girl's instinct. However, the fight was interfered with when Bolin jumped in from the entrance of the hatch. Oblivious, he sat himself down next to Mingyu, tugging his collar back and forth to air everything out. "What's up?" He started.

She faltered again, refusing to answer. Bolin's eyes traveled to where his girlfriend was, immediately jumping up and forming and awkward stance. Light entered the area, signs that the two other benders finally arrived. "Hey, everybody." Korra coughed "Where's Naga?"

But the two repeated exactly what Bolin had, ready to beat the Lieutenant to a pulp. A green smoke bomb distorted their view of the enemy, who had already escaped. Korra and her friends waved their hands back and forth to clear the area, making the Avatar wish that she could unlock her airbending already. But that was when a boot came into their sight-the leg simply finishing off with a kick before exiting the sub. Asami was the only one to know that one kick hit the lever and the switch, activating the submarine to split.

She stumbled to the other wall, pathetically trying to reverse it. A blast was heard from the two doors, Korra pressing her cheek against the glass to get a better look. After a few moments she covered her eyes with her palm and demanded, "What did that activate?"

Her friend just didn't know how to tell her. "Korra," She answered. "That unlatched the part of the submarine Naga was in."

It was seconds after when Korra was crumbling to the floor, pounding at the steel door. There was no use-Asami wasn't aware that the Lieutenant had the doors welded together after Naga taken inside which was before Asami had recently entered the submarine.

On the outside, two men quickly welded the hatch so that there was no way for the occupants to exit. The switch Mingyu had guiltily kicked also commanded the machine to submerge underwater, starting the countdown of the Krew trapped below losing air. A random chi blocker asked, "Sir, why are we just standing here?"

The Lieutenant shrugged him off, "Those kids will suffocate before they even get close to the South Pole. It's not that they have enough air, anyways. But if they do, the Avatar will definitely come back for her polar bear dog. I want you to retrieve it, and bring the creature to Amon. I'm done with Hiroshi's mission for his daughter. It's hopeless. But now," He laughed. "Now it's time to start with phase two of the plan."


	19. Resurfaced

_***I stare at the computer in shock* Now how could I do that to Naga? You may have noticed that I've been reviewing on almost every other LOK fanfic I see and think 'Why isn't this girl updating?' Well sorry, it's just that reading Makorra stuff is pretty obsessive.**_

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

She continuously kicked the door with her fur boot to no avail. "NAGA!" She screamed.

Naga was defenseless. The Avatar could already imagine Equalists with their own tanks preparing to retrieve Naga and transport her to Amon. How could she let this happen? It was like the entire revolution altogether just ripped her heart in two and left one behind. Korra felt like an outcast. Without her animal guide and original friend, she was nothing.

The entire thought of losing anyone during this war was sickening. Korra slid her back against steel as she sank to her knees. She didn't mind her friends seeing her cry as she covered her eyes with her hands. Pabu scampered to Bolin's side, while the three teens in the room were clueless on how to comfort her without being pushed away. Mako was the first to volunteer. He softly rubbed circles into her back, embracing her with the other. Korra clung onto his jacket as if it were her only possession.

Bolin wanted to give her a hug- a big and loving platypus bear kind of hug.

"Um guys, I think you might want to look at this," Asami coughed.

With red eyes Korra could point out the oxygen meter that was a few feet away from them. The arrow signaled to the red portion of the meter, the words 'two hours' blinked on the side. All of the occupants' eyes widened with worry. Korra's grief grew heavy. "_Two hours_? How are we supposed to get from Yue Bay to the South Pole in two hours?!"

"I don't know," the firebender responded. "But we need to come up with a plan if we want to

make it."

"Who cares," Korra sobbed. "We'll never make it without Naga."

Bolin perked, "Yeah, but with a water, earth, and firebenders, we can make it. With the lovely addition to the beautiful mechanical genius." He complimented.

Asami blushed. But with Korra in emotional trauma and everyone's injuries, she would need to help keep everyone together. She knelt down to face the Avatar, "Korra-I know that it's hard for you right now, but all of us need to play their own part in getting to the South Pole first, okay?"

All Korra felt at the moment was pure hate toward the heiress, "Why didn't you stop them? You knew what that lever did! If you at least warned me, then maybe Naga would still be here!"

Asami tensed while Mako soothed, "Whoah, whoah, whoah. Slow down. Korra, it was a trap to begin with. Asami couldn't do more than what she had already done. And if any of us were to take her place, we wouldn't be able to avoid what happened, either," He paused. "But if it was me, would you still be mad?" He asked.

"Yes," Was her first response. "But not as long, I guess."

One of the alarms sounded and red lights flickered. Asami checked it, "There's another sub nearby."

"Great! Maybe they can help!" Bolin jumped. "But how do we get to the surface...?"

Asami had only one response, "We don't. We've submerged too far underwater and I don't think we can speaking of the power we have left."

Mako pulled down the periscope and saw exactly what he had expected. "It's no use anyway. That sub has a Future Industries logo on it. The last thing we need right now is to be torpedoed by Equalists."

Asami sorted ideas in her head, most of them ludicrous. She thought about depth and weight, and other possibilities. "Why don't we lighten the sub?"

The stares she received with told her that they didn't understand. She sighed, "If we lighten the weight in here, then maybe we'll get closer to the surface."

Bolin was the one to complain. "But this place is empty as it is! What more could we do?"

"The radio's busted," Asami started. "But we do have a waterbender and a possible metalbender aboard." That's when all eyes turned to Korra and Bolin. "What?"

"Korra, can you bend water even though it's through metal?"

"Sure, but it'll be difficult."

"And Bolin, do you know _anything _about metalbending?"

"Negative, Sea Captain Mako!"

"Lin was always blabbering on about seismic sense. Katara also explained of how Toph was able to do it. You just have to remind yourself that metal is refined earth itself." The Avatar stepped forward.

Bolin wasn't the type to catch on. "...And, how am I supposed to do that?"

Korra grinned. She always liked taking her turns in teaching bending techniques. "Grip the wall."

Bolin did as he was asked without question. "Now close your eyes." There was silence. "See anything?"

"Eh...nope."

Korra groaned. "Picture the particles of earth in the wall. Picture the whole wall, and you can sense anything in the room that's solid."

"Cool!" He exclaimed. Korra snapped her fingers next to his ear expectantly.

"Now, do you see anything? Remember to keep your eyes closed."

The earthbender shook his head. With declaration Asami stated, "An hour left."

The group exhaled, each one trying to be as patient as possible. "Don't you know how to metalbend?" Asked Mako, hope toned into his voice.

"I didn't think I needed it. I just tried to master every element as fast as I could. I got through earthbending as fast as I could just so I could move onto fire and airbending."

The raven-haired girl grabbed Mako's arm and pointed towards the hatch. She did the same to Korra, but had her fists pointed to the floor, and Bolin was positioned similar to Korra's but on the opposite side. Mako, try and see if you can melt through the first hatch. Bolin, maybe you can lift the submarine with a pillar of earth. And Korra can try to blast us high enough with waterbending."

"Good idea!" They exclaimed in unison.

As if synchronized, the benders used their respective elements with one beginning move at the same second. Korra and Bolin weren't as used to bending water and earth while being physically separated from it by some sort of wall. Thuds, and bubbling sounds were heard soon after. The earthbender blushed, "Sorry, I think that was me-"

"No, Bolin! I think you have a pillar of earth that can lift us up to the surface! We're at a good start!" Korra pumped both fists in the air, causing the submarine to lunge upwards and everyone to trample downwards. "Accidental earthbending. Whoops."

They returned to their tasks while Asami was trying her best to find the emergency override. If she could find it in time then it would be easier to get off the ocean floor faster. Scanning the entire area, it still couldn't be found. Though she did need to grasp onto a handle to prevent from falling over since every move her friends made made the submarine lunge further a few feet. Korra and Bolin had no complication-but the firebender seemed to struggle.

The desired hatch turned a tint of red for a matter of seconds and faded to its original color of gray with every blast he shot. He resolved to continuous streams of his element, satisfied when he saw parts dent as he wanted. Meanwhile the oxygen levels grew low. Their progress was improving, but their breathing had become shallow gasps. A second red light went off. This alarm was much louder than the last, they jumped when they heard it. The system read, 'Five Minutes'.

The firebender finally melted through the first hatch. "We can get out!" He exclaimed as he reached to turn the wheel to their freedom.

His girlfriend stopped him, and he realized that his excitement overcame him. Completely forgetting that the water pressure would submerge the submarine almost immediately. Losing time, Korra and Bolin tried with great effort to resurface. There wasn't much progress. But every second of a break they had, the submarine would slowly descend deeper. "One..." Korra fell into a fit of coughing, "More minute left.."

As his friends prepared to take their last breaths, Bolin flung his arms to to the ceiling. His wishes of something happening came true. Softs rays of sunlight shined through the porthole windows. Mako's first reaction was flinging open the hatch, inhaling a fresh air of freedom. Conveniently, they were adjacent to shore. The Avatar was still shocked. She wasn't the one to bend; so Bolin must have-

"Whooohooo! I metalbended, people! I raised us to safety! Now, how awesome am I?"

"I'd say that you're pretty badass yourself, sweetie." Asami was the only one to reply.


	20. A Castaway

**I have everything for the next few chapters planned out, I swear. I just have complications typing the chapters without getting distracted. Oh, and I've been receiving messages about info for the sequel-well I'm not sure if it'll be a crossover or not...hmm... *rubs palms together*. Oh, and once again thank you for the constant support! But I found out that one of my friends reviewed; '_where the hell is chapter 20?' _And took it as a joke. But people...don't waste my time filling my inbox with alerts about reviews if you're just going to make a stupid one, anyway. Just PM me, for crying out loud! Joke or not. Kay? ON WITH THE STORY!**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

**Korra's POV:**

I..was...pissed off. Not that Bolin could metalbend or that we actually got out of that death trap alive, but that we had no idea where we were. So, Naga's missing. Mingyu set the trap so that she and her father could just try to kill us. In all, we have little hope left.

But I had my friends. Asami was my best friend, and she would most definitely betray anyone like that slut Mingyu did. Bolin, the incredible guy. And then there's Mako. We agreed not to argue anymore awhile ago. Plus, he's just an awesome person that I grew to love. No way am I going to lose these people out here. Years of survival training could come in handy after all. "Do you think we can make it if I freeze parts of the ocean for us to walk on?"

Asami was unsure. "Why don't we grab some supplies before we do that?"

"Yeah. We would probably bump into an Earth Kingdom city, anyway. We can catch a ship to get to the South Pole. And it's not like we can swim all the way there." Mako pointed.

"Actually..."

"Korra, no. It's not like all of us are sea animals or something."He replied.

It wasn't like I was going to wait for a signal. I sprinted from the beach to what I could find. Actual _civilization _would be nice. But we could be who knows how far away with any contact to any city or town. But once we get through this living hell, I can finally take a break from this stupid Avatar business. A little vacation, at least. And I would drag Mako along whether he liked it or not. Wasn't like we got to have enough time together, right?

I halted as soon as I noticed that I was stepping in plants that were nearly knee-high. "Dumb forests.." I muttered. Forests are stupid. "They're all filled with weird plants and stuff...you can barely see anything and, OW!"

My eyes traveled down to what I stubbed my boot onto. I walked out of the forest of plants and took a better look. A speedboat. Wait, this was just too _easy. _There was a catch. I could feel it. I mean, really. Just think about it. I was just stepping out of the forest when I just _conveniently _fell upon a boat. How stupid did these people think I am?

My hands were crossed behind my back, as I pretended to see something in the water and walk away. My boots were now kicked off a few meters away. I shuffled my feet in the soft sand. Trying to make it look natural, I _'wandered' _back by the trees and kept a close eye on the boat. Then there was rustling leaves above me. And guess who it was? The biatch I never thought I'd get revenge on. I'm not exactly environmentally friendly, but I went for it by burning every tree in sight-hoping that Mingyu would fall a couple feet.

**Mingyu's POV:**

My feet...stung like hell! I can't believe I lied to my dad about following these guys. Sure, I snuck out to check if they were okay, but all my dad did was laugh at me. I would love to prove him wrong since they were alright. But then he would just go after Korra and her friends. So what do I get from caring about someone? They attempt to _burn me alive_! But I kinda understand why.

They almost did die in that submarine...

I landed with a tumble from the last tree I jumped off of. I'm glad I cut my hair short. I was also in a leather jumpsuit with wedged heels. I started to think that I would look like a spy which didn't help much. Maybe they wouldn't recognize me?

Sadly for the Equalist, Mingyu's short change in appearance didn't trick the Avatar by a bit. Instead, Korra refused to let her off easy and froze a massive sheet of ice directly above her head. "Give me one reason I shouldn't drop this on top of you!" she threatened.

The commotion caught the attention of her other three friends on the island. Bolin came first. The look on his face was confused. "Korra! Look! We found a boat! And-is that Mingyu?" he chirped.

His brother walked up to the Avatar. "Korra put those down. No need to crush her. Maybe she can help us find Naga."

Korra's stoic expression didn't fade for a second.

Mako tensed, "Korra, please. Listen to me."

But his girlfriend just turned his head to the side, hiding her tears as she dropped the mat of ice to the side carelessly. "You don't care, do you?"

Bolin and Asami were guilty. They wished they could help, but when these two argued...there was no stopping them. Bolin intertwined his fingers along in Asami's as he tugged her in the other direction. He whispered as quietly as his voice would let him, "Asami, we should go! I can sense a _classic_ Makorra argument coming on!"

The heiress decided that pretending to fix the nearby speedboat would appear as a good cover.

By now, the Water Tribe native had hot tears traveling freely down her cheeks. "You've been trying to protect Mingyu the entire time!"

The firebender was taken aback. "W-what? What they heck are you talking about?!"

Instinctively, she stood her ground while trying to make a point. "I've seen the way you look at her, Mako! So why would you care about me-or even Naga for that matter!"

"I do! I'll say it over and over if I have to! I just think that she could lead us to Naga!"

She refused to listen. Her best friend stood up from the side of the motorboat and clapped her hands together to rid of the grime on it. Korra asked, "Any progress, Asami?"

The mechanical expert pridefully revealed a fully restored motorboat. "Yup! Now we're all set to go!" But Asami eventually locked eyes with Mingyu who felt guilty. Asami turned away just as Korra had to Mako. Without question, Korra took the front seat. They all knew Asami had to steer, so she sat in the driver's seat. The two brothers had the two remaining seats in the back of the boat. With all of the emotional tension between the fire and waterbender, the Krew had almost completely forgotten that they abandoned and left Mingyu as a castaway on the inhabited island.

But luckily, Mingyu was able to contact her father with the supplies she brought along with her. "Uh..dad? Yeah, I'm stranded. They kind of took my boat along with them."

The Lieutenant shared a short chuckles with the chi-blockers she could hear in the background, "Mingyu. For one, it serves you right for _lending_ them a boat. Second, I told you so. Amon won't be pleased by this. Your only mission was to break their little team apart. Was that so hard?"

"But I did get Korra to break up with Mako! Well-not exactly. They're just pretty mad at each other because the topic of the polar-bear dog was brought up, and-"

"Sweetie, address them as the _Avatar,_ and the _firebender. _Alright? Never address them as you would to a friend. We're hiding too much from Amon already." A faint beeping was heard from behind him. "And it says that one of our submarines are nearby. Once you board, tell them 'CTR785'. Okay? I'll see you in a few hours."

The young woman was still confused, "But what does 'CTR785' mean?"

There was a short pause, and then a sigh from the Lieutenant, "It means report passenger back to Equalist base. And Amon has _one more _objective for you to accomplish. Don't fail this one, alright?"

"What's that?"

"I need you to guard the captives during the rally tonight. Amon won't just let any chi-blocker guard the Council, don't you think?"

Mingyu rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll meet up with you later."

She conveniently sighted a small submarine with the Equalist symbol surfacing. In no hurry, she strolled over to the two men waiting there, "C-T-R-7-8-5."

The girl impatiently sat down in a seat adjacent to another young man with gelled hair. Her arms were now folded behind her head. "So, what's your name?" She asked.

The boy tilted his head slightly, his cool attitude matching hers, "Tahno." He responded.

"Hey, haven't I heard of you before? I'm not that much of a city girl, but I think I have." Hey eyebrows shifted.

He smirked mischievously, "Probably not."


	21. Arrival

**I'm typing this at the dinner table. Slowed down the typing progress, but that's okay. As an update, I realized that I have some pretty good ideas for one-shots stuck in my brain. But maybe I could combine them all together to make it a trilogy? How about...the together trilogy? No? Ah, I'm terrible at names, anyway. **

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

* * *

It felt like hours, but they made it to the South Pole. It was a hectic journey, but these teens learned that it _was the destination,_ not the journey. For anyone who said it otherwise would be proved wrong. They were greeted by White Lotus Sentries even before they stepped off the speedboat. not at all surprising to Korra-it seemed that these Sentries were around when she didn't need them for protection.

The airbender and Council kids hugged them, asking abundant questions they were too tired to even listen to. The airbending master captured Korra in an embrace, "Are you kids alright? What took you guys so long?"

But his current student waved him off, "We'll tell you everything at dinner, Tenzin."

Bolin whined, "Aww, but why? Everytime we talk about something at the dinner table, the awkward topics are brought up. We don't want another Makorra argument, right?"

Pema stepped out from beside Tenzin and was giggling, "Makorra argument now is it?"

But Korra let out a sigh as her waterbending master walked in at the right second. "Master Katara, thank goodness you're here."

"I should be saying the same to you, Korra. I can see from the looks on your faces that you have been through much on your journey."

She switched the conversation's subject anyway. "So...where are my parents?"

Her master understood that her student was trying to avoid the subject for a matter of time, "In the village. Oh! Nevermind. Guess they knew you were coming."

It turned out that her parents turned up to welcome their only daughter back. Senna was pleased to see her, "Korra! Goodness, are you okay? No burns, scars, headaches?"

She groaned in annoyance. Her mother was definitely proving to be the overprotective type. "I'm fine, mom. Nothing bad happened," She lied.

Tonraq knew, though. "Oh, really? Because we've heard much more than that, Korra."

Asami's friend instincts told her to speak up, "Now why don't we settle this at dinner?"

The Avatar dramatically let out a breath she hadn't realized she was keeping. "Thanks, Asami. You're always there when I need it."

But she wasn't cognizant of the firebender who hadn't spoken much since their arrival. The group stalked back to the compound, the sun setting as nightfall approached. Howl operated the gates to open re-welcoming the Avatar. Her trio of friends gasped as they saw how impressively massive it was inside. They saw several watchtowers and pavilions, numerous training grounds, animal shelters and humble housings located inside. There was even more than that. But they didn't have time to explore everything.

"Welcome to my former prison," mused Korra.

Bolin was amazed, "Korra, this place is awesome! I still don't understand why you wanted to leave in such a hurry."

"Bolin. Imagine living here for more than half of your life. Being watched and babied by White Lotus Sentries? Not so much fun."

Katara ushered them into another part of the compound which was her home. It was traditionally decorated with furs that hung on the walls, and wooden furniture that gave the housing a more comfy feeling. But as soon as the guests started dinner, the awkward feeling returned. Bolin and Asami sat next to each other while Korra and Mako were on either side. Separated by two people, Korra didn't find it necessary to talk to her boyfriend right now about their little disagreement.

Tonraq, Senna, Tenzin, and Katara sat on the other side of the table, Tonraq across from his daughter. **(Is this confusing? lol.)**

The Avatar loved eating her traditional food, but she had a pit in her stomach telling her something unpleasant was going to happen.

* * *

**Korra's POV:**

Oh, spirits. Guess I my thoughts were proved right when my dad laid out a pile of newspapers in front of me. Not _ordinary _newspapers, though. Guess whose face was on the cover of headline? Mine. But of course my father didn't look pleased at all. "Korra, explain this."

I glanced at Asami who was clearing her throat and scratching her head awkwardly. Bolin scooped seaweed noodles into his mouth, reminding me of the first time we met Tahno. As for Mako..what was up with him? He didn't talk, and he wasn't even eating. Could he be anymore detached?

My dad's finger traveled to the first paper which read, _'Avatar Korra arrives in Republic City-saves shopkeeper from Triple Threats but resists Police when put under arrest.'_

And Lin just _had _to to walk in, but everyone was still focusing on me, "Well what did you want me to do? Just stand there while watching those thugs smash up the shop?"

My father just laid out another headline. _'Avatar Korra joins task force but challenges Amon to a duel! Sources say that she was lead straight into a trap-ambushed on Aang Memorial Island the same night' _

Ugh. Tarrlok must've told the 'sources' just to spread word that I was stupid enough to challenge Amon alone. Sad thing-was that it was true. "No comment," I mumbled.

The last article he grasped firmly before letting me see. _'Avatar Korra kidnapped by Councilman Tarrlok! She was rescued by her friends and revealed him to be a bloodbender! Unfortunately the Avatar was almost left in a coma due to brain damage...'_

That's the_ last_ thing I wanted to see. I couldn't stand this. But my dad's anger would just fuel if I didn't answer him. My pleading look was first sent to Tenzin, who only nodded his head towards my parents. What guidance. But leaving one other option, "Dad, Mom, can I talk to you guys somewhere else?"

My feet dragged me over to my room where I sat on my bed. My parents followed, shutting the door behind them. Just before the door shut, Asami and Bolin had faces that said,_ 'It'll be fine,_'

I stared at my dad straight in the eye, "Look, I was just trying to do what was best for everyone! I may have snuck out and broke some rules, but everything ended up okay!"

My mom scooted over beside me and brushed my hair with her fingers gently, "Korra, all we wanted was for you to be careful. We never knew it would come to this," she referred to the headlines. "And imagine how worried and devastated we were when you were missing. Imagine us not being able to do anything while you were getting hurt? It's a horrid feeling."

"And that's how I feel about being in Republic City!" I pointed out.

Dad and Mom looked to each other, as if making silent decisions without letting me in on it.

"Korra, you're allowed to help plan and strategize, but that's it. Let Tenzin and the United Forces handle everything else. This isn't the kind of task a teenage girl can handle, sweetie. Understand?"

I reluctantly nodded.

"Promise me." my dad warned.

"I pinky swear," I rolled my eyes as our fingers intertwined, confirming it. I felt like they were treating me as they would to a little kid. Pretty dumb, but what would I get from being their only daughter? The door creaked open and shut again. I slammed my face into my pillow, feeling unused adrenaline coursing through me, making me want to...I don't know, punch something. I flipped over so that I was laying on my back. Maybe I could come up with some excuse? But what? I couldn't create one anyway, they already knew everything, so there's no use coming up with any kind of lie.

The breeze from my window tickled against my ear. _Like it wasn't cold enough already._ I lazily swung my legs over to the side of my bed to stand up and shut the window panel. Then something stopped me. A pause first. Were those..whispers? I craned my neck to try and listen. Turning my head to the side when my ear perked up.

"_Naga..." _It said.

I almost slapped myself. This was just like before. I was tired. It's all in my head. Only believing it would make it true.

"_Naga...is dead." _

_"Shit,"_ I slammed the panels shut, covering my ears with my palms. "She's alive and well, Korra. And that's it. Nothing else," I reassured myself.

* * *

It was a peaceful silence until there was soft whining. The whining transitioned to anxious barks and howls. The noise was cut off with the unmistakable sound of a _slice._

"_The polar bear dog is dead," _the voice repeated as a breeze brushed past her face.

Except this time Korra identified the voice creating the articulation. It was none other than Amon's words. So how could these voices be sent along with a draft if she had already sealed the windows shut? She proceeded to anxiously open the window once more to check for any sign of him. Korra officially confirmed her self insane. She _had _to discuss this with Tenzin. Before it got any worse. Korra flung the door open, her friends and masters lounging in the living room. Tenzin was the first to notice her presence, face contorted into concern.

Korra hadn't paid any attention to anyone else in the room-or the fact that she had tears streaming freely down her cheeks. The student and airbending master sat together on the other side of the room, their backs leaning against the wall casually. "Tenzin, I think I'm losing sanity," She stated.

"VIRGINITY!" Bolin fist pumped. And obviously not hearing her correctly.

All Asami did was shake her head. She was playing Pai Sho with the earthbender, conceitedness overcoming him.

The waterbender wiped the silent tears and led Tenzin into the kitchen. The master nodded, understanding. His student had been through much during her journey the past couple months. "You can tell me anything, Korra. But only if you want to."

"I've been seeing this freakish dark shadow when I was in the woods. It just shrieked so loudly that it scared the crap out of me. I've also been hearing this voice that's been telling me these..._lies_."

"What kind of lies?"

"Naga is dead," she spat out the three words. It felt like drinking poison even by saying it. She was staring blankly at the wall.

"But do you believe this?" He asked.

She shook her head, "I don't want to. It just seemed all too real. I don't know what to believe anymore."

Before Tenzin could say anything supportive, the discouraged Avatar locked herself back in her room. This frustrated him. Korra wasn't one to listen much. Most importantly about her personal issues. Wasn't Mako supposed to be comforting her right now? Right. He already heard about the little _'Makorra'_ argument, and knew from spread gossip that infamous Makorra arguments lasted long-even though most of it could just be normal propaganda. So for now he would just have to let Korra sort things out until tomorrow.

* * *

Mingyu walked alongside Tahno, being led by the Lieutenant to accomplish their current task. Mingyu eyed Tahno suspiciously when he said, "Sexy catsuit,"

Blowing the hair out of her face, "It's uncomfortable, but thanks anyway," She retorted.

Her father turned around, "Are you two seriously flirting when I'm right here?" He ignored their surprised expressions as he tossed two weapons towards them. The three stopped outside of the Council members' cells.

"Just stand guard. And I don't want any funny business, alright?"

His daughter was bored of this, "Okay dad, you can go now!"

The heavy platinum door slammed.

"Somebody's got daddy issues..."

"Can you just shut up, Tahno?!"

"You just can't take a joke, can you?" he asked.

"Look, I've had a really bad day, and I don't need some pretty boy waltzing around and making this one task harder!"

Tahno seemed to be caught up in that last statement, "Pretty boy, huh?"

Her jaw clenched.

"Calm down, Hazel! It's just that you remind me of somebody. You know what I mean?" he defended.

"Did you just call me hazel?"

"What, would you like me to call you something much more offensive instead of just your beautiful eye color?"

Mingyu didn't know why, but she blushed. "Whatever. But who were you talking about, anyway?"

His trademark smirk was visible, "I'm sure you've met Korra."

But Mingyu didn't return a smile, "She hates me, you know."

"And why is that?" He seemed to be enjoying this.

"I actually_ tried _to help her, but guess what she did? She left me stranded on an island!"

The former waterbender was expecting this sort of reaction, his face solid, "But from what I heard, you helped with the whole submarine situation," he grinned again at his last reference.

She ignored it, "I know, but people can change their minds. And that exception goes to anyone."

"Even me?" he pointed his finger towards his chest.

"Probably not," She said as she tested to see if her glove was working. A rare and satisfied smile emerged on her lips when electricity crackled through the glove. Much more powerful than the previous one she had owned.

The boy didn't miss his opportunity to tease, "Be careful with that, Hazel."

"No need to worry about me, Pretty boy."

Her fist clenched tighter as she approached the three cells. But she realized that there were supposed to be five cells occupied. _'Oh, that's right,' _she thought._ 'No one's captured Tenzin or Tarrlok yet,'_

The three prisoners hadn't spoken at all since their capture. They were all too worried about their kids that could be _anywhere_ by now.

* * *

_**Chapter 22 won't be so long of a wait. I love you guys for reading! :)**_


	22. Training

**It's 9:45 and I'm too lazy to go upstairs. So here I am, typing this silently resisting the urge to fall asleep on this soft..comfy...couch. **

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

* * *

Asami flicked the light switch that illuminated Korra's room. "General Iroh and the United Forces arrived last night," Korra ignored and flopped the pillow over her head. She went through much anxiety the previous night and didn't care that she only ate half of her dinner or crashed at a very early hour.

None other than Ikki flew in through the door, "Korra! Wake up! You have training today!"

The young woman slowly turned around. "What do you mean training?" and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Jinora silently stepped in and tugged Korra's hand so that she was outside of her room before handing over her parka, "Airbending, silly. And you still have to greet General Iroh and Uncle Bumi."

Jinora wasn't as loud as Ikki, that's one thing Korra liked about her. The fur boots and parka were slipped on with one last yawn escaping her mouth. She wasn't expecting someone to gracefully place her hand towards their lips and kiss it when Korra walked halfway out the door.

* * *

** Korra's POV:**

A gentleman, definitely. But polite enough. What would you get from being the Firelord's relative, anyway? "I'm guessing you're General Iroh,"

"And you, Avatar Korra," He remarked.

Very _very _handsome. But I'm still with Mako. Right? We just had a falling out, no big deal. Where the heck has he been anyway? It's not like I would be surprised if he decided to avoid me. The general rolled out a huge map of Republic City. Way too detailed, that is. I had to look closely just to read the locations.

"I hope my fleet got here early enough," he started, "We have to act quickly. Amon's forces are growing stronger by the day and we need to assemble a plan."

"Korra, training will begin in a few minutes," A deep voice stated, "My apologies, General Iroh." The general nodded and discussed the plan with the other guys.

Tenzin was waiting by the door, tapping his foot. Like _I'm_ the impatient one around here. The kids were waiting by the platform, same place I had to finish my firebending test. Now airbending? Who knew? But why were Jinghua, Cheng, and Rulon here too? "Guys, are you sure you want to watch me fail? You head inside if you want to."

"Nope! We wanna stay!" Jinghua was as perky as Ikki today. Cheng and Rulon were playing tag with Meelo.

But thanks goodness Tenzin ushered them away, "Kids, why don't you play tag somewhere else? Howl, would you mind watching them for the day?"

Howl stopped in his tracks, eyes on mine while he was deciding. And yes, I made my signature pout. "Not at all sir," He sighed.

"Come on, kids." Meelo whipped an air blast to make him high enough to jump onto Howl's back, leaving Cheng and Meelo hanging onto his feet. Ikki skipped beside Jinghua and Jinora trailed behind. Some changes-_especially the kids_ are those I'll learn to get used to.

"So Tenzin, how am I supposed to train without the gates and the meditation pavillion?"

It only took him a second to stroke his beard and answer, "The gazebo across from us will be just fine. And there are so many training utilities we can work with here, Korra. If you can use them to train with three elements, it may not be so much of a challenge to complete with four."

"I guess so."

* * *

Heels clacked against the tiled floor which evolved gradually to each prison cell as the pair drew nearer. "Have any eyeliner?"

"No."

"Then why...?"

"Tahno, it's mascara."

"Can I borrow that?"

"No," she replied, "Just open the frickin' gate."

The boy said, "Feisty this girl is getting, huh?"

Mingyu didn't even bother. Sh eyed the key ring by his pocket and proceeded to grabbing it and unlocking the door. Not that this helped with matters. "So...you enjoyed reaching there."

"Tahno, just shut your f-_AH_!" Mingyu stumbled behind the former waterbender, startled by the creature that bit her.

On instinct, Tahno closed the cell immediately and locked it. "I never liked that thing."

The two slid their backs against another cell and sunk to the floor to sit down. Blood exuded down her arm flowing freely. Crimson liquid dripped down to the white tiled floor, marking the once clean color. "Well that _thing _almost tore my arm off." she cradled her wounded arm against her chest. The pain didn't cease, so she flopped it to the side, rendering it useless at the moment. "Crap, Tahno."

The other teen grabbed all the medical supplies he could find in the room. "And why blame me?"

The bottle of rubbing alcohol was turned over, soaking the swab he had. Without warning, the swab was pressed against her wound, earning a hiss from the girl. "Shit."

"Well sorry drama queen, just trying to help here."

Mingyu halted him almost mid-sentence, "Just be quiet and give me the gauze."

Tahno was about to head to the door when he heard her say, "No need to get my dad. I can handle this myself."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Just finish the job, okay? I can take guard duties and stay down here."

"I'll come back in a couple of hours," he reassured, "Stay beautiful."

"No need to worry." Once the door closed, her glare was fixated on the animal that nearly caused her severe injury. It growled exposing dagger-like teeth. Mingyu cringed. Thank the spirits those things didn't chop anything off. _'Not just yet,' _she thought.

The creature returned to its place in the back of the cell. The city girl loved the silence of the basement. She longed for it ever since she had met Tahno and his sly sort of nature. Mingyu hadn't seen many men like him. Most people would ignore her because they thought she was stoic and serious. So unlike the character she had to maintain just to travel with the Avatar and her colleagues. Not the most enjoyable type of travel and mission she had been on, either. But one thing was realized-never try to help your enemy. "Ever again," she mumbled.

Three prisoners across from her shifted, Mingyu now feeling uncomfortable that they needed to witness another one of her unfortunate events. With a flick of her thumb the dim lights were shut. The girl felt much better being unseen. Concealing in the darkness was her face threatening to spill over with tears she had been restraining.

* * *

Korra stamped her foot on the ground pretending it was Master Tenzin's face. "Complete the obstacle. Keep in mind that your current knowledge of airbending moves would definitely be convenient to you." Tenzin said.

The Avatar exhaled a sharp breath of air. The airbender called, "Ignore how commodious it is! Follow the steps and you'll be just fine."

"Got that right," she retorted.

"What was that?"

She fidgeted with her choices of words, "I said... what does commodious mean?"

"Expansive and spacious! Now quit stalling!"

Master Katara gave a friendly grin. A small gesture of encouragement her student appreciated from time to time. Particularly at stressful times like these. Her current objective: Rehearse using spiral movements through an obstacle course. She had to avoid the obstacles while being surrounded by dense fog thanks to Katara. Each impediment had a pedal which would be her signal to go in a different direction.

Thick fog slowly advanced around her legs, which she guessed was her cue to start. Korra was actually thankful for the fog. If she was unsuccessful then at least her mentors wouldn't need to behold._ 'First key to avoiding embarrassment,' _she thought.

Heavy mist was encasing the area deliberately. "Let's do this."

The starting horn was heard in the distance.

* * *

Bolin and Asami took it upon themselves to take advantage of the emptiness of the room. As a couple they leaned in for a kiss. Asami draped her arms around his neck...

"You two."

Bolin was the first to over exaggerate, "Why can't I just have some quality time with my girlfriend? It's a tragedy, I'm being honest here."

His sentence was cut short with a light punch on his shoulder. A stutter left his lips as he realized the former chief of police was standing before them. He didn't look up once as he was talking. "Chief Bei Fong, I didn't know it was you," he finally managed to speak.

Lin's stone faced expression stayed analogous. "A word please,"

The two earthbenders stepped into a room detached from the previous one. "Am I in trouble or anything?" Bolin asked with his thumbs twiddling.

"Absolutely not. But I did hear one thing."

"WHAT?! Mako told you, didn't he?"

"Yes, but-"

"I'M SORRY I MADE A DENT IN YOUR POLICE CAR!"

Lin huffed and shook him by the shoulder, "It's isn't that! It's about your metalbending."

The look on Bolin's face changed almost drastically. From melodramatic to something greater than untheatrical. "Oh yeah, that."

The woman was getting tired of the hackneyed ridiculousness of this teenager. "I know you only want to overcome this whole war." She continued, "and your training starts tomorrow."

With that she left, abandoning the boy in the hallway who didn't know what to think. He plunked down next to Asami in the same spot where he had left her. She scooted over to make room for him, but wondered why his face looked so confused. "Is everything okay? What did she tell you, sweetie?"

"Lin's going to teach me how to metalbend tomorrow!"

On instinct they embraced, "That's fantastic! I'll make sure to cheer you on tomorrow!"

"The bestest...girlfriend...ever." he whispered into her ear. He satisfyingly earned a giggle from the heiress.

* * *

Korra ducked her head under the last plank. Hands on her knees and palms sweating. She fixed her hair into a single ponytail so that the front and back of her neck could cool off. "Excellent job, Korra! Extravagant!" cheered the old woman.

Now her hands rested on her hips, "Hey Katara, can I get a little more of that mist? I feel like I ran a marathon."

The woman glanced both directions for any sight of her son. Tenzin had watched the Avatar's training exercise, but was already heading off indoors. "Just save your energy, Korra. Tonight Yue is her strongest."

Korra knew what that meant. Tonight was a full moon. In a few hours she would learn a new technique.

* * *

** Next chapter will continue everyone's training, maybe more Mingyu and Tahno action? And no, I'm not forgetting about other characters-they'll pop up again sooner or later.  
:)))**


	23. Stubborn

**I also created a poll where you can choose the title, so I'm grateful for any votes casted. :) This chapter is pretty much based on stoic and stubbornness of the characters.**

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

Two waterbenders strolled in the icy snow covered atmosphere. Each crunch of their steps led the women farther away from the Southern Water Tribe village and compound. The younger of the two didn't exactly regret walking this far. She needed the exercise and was excited what her former master was finally going to teach her. A rare skill like bloodbending brought mixed feelings into Korra's mind. "And you're sure you are okay with this, Korra?"

"Yeah. I'm just a bit jittery, that's all."

Katara marched a few paces before coming to a halt. Village lights in the horizon were dim. Without the moonlight or lanterns they could be in darkness. She noticed that her master brought over a practice dummy. "So how is bloodbending supposed to work on a dummy?"

"Bloodbending focuses on water that exists within all living things. Enhanced power from the moon on a night like this makes it easier, although I have heard certain people in Republic City have learned to go beyond that. And bloodbending on an actual person is much more complicated and dangerous."

A grave and horrifying experience it was. She never wanted anyone to overpower her ever again. But she was just learning on how to defend herself, right?

"This dummy is filled with water. I want you to concentrate on the liquid inside it. That's the first step to bloodbending."

The student hesitantly extended her hand, pretending she was doing her usual waterbending. The arm of her target slowly lifted up and down. "Very good. You may be able to bloodbend without a full moon in no time!"

But a grave expression passed the old woman's face, "But make sure you never use this skill if it isn't an emergency."

The girl nodded solemnly. "Now listen closely," her teacher said, "practice this technique while being separated from your target."

"Like I did in the submarine, right? I didn't have contact with the water, but I was able to waterbend through the metal."

Katara was impressed. "My point exactly."

"So you want me to practice bending water while a huge sheet of metal is there?"

"I don't see why not."

Korra thought for a second, "But where am I supposed to get a giant wall of metal in the South Pole?"

"I think Lin can help you with that. She's giving training Bolin to be a metalbender, you know."

"I wouldn't be so surprised if Bolin joined the police once this war's over," Korra chuckled.

"Well, you may never know. Some things just happen when they're unplanned for."

The girl awoke with a start. She grunted in annoyance when she took in her surroundings. Did she really fall asleep crying in the basement last night? Getting up from her sitting position, she stretched and was thankful that none of the sunlight shone in her direction. Otherwise the prisoners would see her. And where was Tahno? Shouldn't he be here taunting her by now? Not that she cared.

Oh, right. He told her he would come back but was probably backed off by the guards on night duty. Only 'higher ranking' Equalists were permitted to coming into the basement after midnight. Mingyu flexed her arm muscles but cringed as a stinging sensation was felt. Knowing it was from her wound she took a look at her arm after unwrapping the gauzes.

It improved, but dry blood was still spread about her forearm. She stepped over to the mirror nearby. "Spirits," she gasped. "I look like crap."

The door was stealthily opened as she left the room. "Feel like crap too," she muttered.

One thing she didn't know was that her father had seen her in the corridor. "And where have you been?"

"Don't wanna talk about it."

"You sure you don't-"

"I said I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

And with that she stomped her way to her room to clean herself up. The Lieutenant twirled the kali sticks into the basement to check on the current hostages.

Korra tilted her head up at the sky. The gray tinted puffs of clouds that were foreshadowed with the surrounding moonlight. Enduring as always. Calmly her head was resting against her folded arm as she laid back on the cold ground. Her parka was snuggly worn with fur from the hood was tucked against her neck. Once again she was reminded of something.

How as a child on cold nights she would let Naga sleep next to her to make her feel safe. It eventually became a habit of having Naga in her room and be adjacent to her master's bedside. Like when she had her nightmare, Korra's first reaction was to jolt up in a cold sweat as she awoke. Naga was there and assured her safety by laying her head in Korra's lap. Naga would never let the Equalists get to Korra when if she was present. The Avatar was ashamed to think that she had done the opposite. With her pet imprisoned, everything was turned around.

She no longer felt as safe. Her family and friends may have been here, but Naga was irreplaceable. Without the polar bear dog she felt empty. Mako starting an argument with her didn't help as much, either. It was only an hour after midnight when she was in her conversation with Katara. Korra stayed where she was as Katara made her way back to the compound. Her energy for the night was spent-having to stay up late and walk all the way outside the village. If anyone saw, her appearance would be a blue dot in the distance.

Yawning. She couldn't help it. Her azure eyes returned staring at the clouds above her. But she thought, _'Should I go back now?' _

Her legs refused to lift her. Her arms refused to lift her up. So maybe she could just stare at the sky. Spend a little time to herself and away from the drama in her life. Just tonight she could do absolutely nothing in the quiet of the night.

"Asami, I'm fine," Mako replied.

Bolin had left earlier in the morning to begin training sessions.

As usual, the heiress wasn't one to be easily convinced, "Mako, you can't just avoid your problems. I mean it when I say nearly_ all _of them. The key is to face the present, Mako. Face the facts. This whole fight has gone on long enough, and you know it."

The firebender shook his head. He knew she was talking about Korra. But has this fight gone on long enough? How can they forgive after avoiding each other for so long? A pair of footsteps were heard behind them. A man clothed in red with well groomed hair and proper posture. "You two look troubled. Is there a way I could help?"

"Nothing that concerns you, General Iroh," Mako told him.

The general nodded respectively, "Very well then," his head tilted towards the girl, "and may you have good day, Miss Sato."

She nearly blushed, "You are welcome to call me Asami."

"Of course. I'll be in the compound if any of you two would like to join me in planning the attack on the Equalists. And I look forward to seeing you at dinner, Asami." The young adult stepped out of the room the way he had came minutes ago.

"See? Now if you were as polite as he was then maybe Korra will take you back."

"Wait. Take _me_ back?" he stuttered.

Asami clamped her palm over his, "Mako. The boy is always the first to apologize. Rule number one in the girl book."

She sassily opened the curtains that led her outdoors and back to her tent. Her heels flicked snow with every step. She stopped in her tracks. _Was that singing?_

Noisy music amplified when she stepped closer to where the United Forces men were camping. A campfire resting at the center, a few men were laughing and whistling. Others were singing folk tunes. A glass was spotted in a man's hand. Tonight was their last chance to relax and behave freely before a busy day tomorrow. "Of course they're drinking," Asami reminded herself.

But General Iroh wasn't in sight.

Drops of sweat beaded down his face. He panted rather heavily. This kind of training was ten times more complicated than what he was used to back at the Probending Arena. "Ten more, Bolin!"

"Wwwhhhhaaaaatttt? But Chief Bei Fong," he whined.

"I'm not Chief anymore. Second, this is for your own good. Would an athlete like you be too lazy to do just ten more pushups?"

He exhaled, "Yes. So can I take a break now?"

Lin gave her trademark pout and crossed her arms, "Fine. Be back in 10 minutes."

"Why ten-"

She interrupted impatiently, "My stopwatch is starting. Don't waste time."

Bolin grabbed a nearby bottle of water and dumped it carelessly over his sweating face. The gymnasium doors pushed back to greet him with a shivering breeze and light snow falling. He sighted Asami wandering around the camping grounds for the United Forces. "Hey, beautiful."

Her eyes lit up at the sound of his voice. "Hey, you! You good to go with your training?"

"Not really. Just a ten minute break. So what were you up to?" he asked.

"I was looking for General Iroh. Have you seen him around?"

He cocked his eyebrows, "Wait. Why you looking for him?"

She was confused at first. Then she chuckled slightly and put her hands on his shoulders. "Cool off. I'm only helping him plan out stuff for when we get back to Republic City. And cooling off goes for your little sweating problem there too,"

The earthbender glanced down at his shirt and saw it drenched in his own sweat. The polar breeze shifted through once more. Asami wiped her fingers on a towel, "Yeah, it's disgusting. Now go take a quick shower, and maybe I'll get to see you later!"

The couple shared a quick kiss before continuing on their way. "Oh hey General Iroh," he spoke, "Asami was just looking for you."

Mako longingly fixed his eyes on the endless tundra outdoors. He pinched the bridge of his nose. With everything going on, it would be best to end one conflict. But would apologizing to her do it? Would she believe him? _'Of course she'll believe me,' _was his train of thought, _'Since it's the truth, I know she will,'_

But a question was stuck in his head; What would he say? In his normal attitude, he would say a simple _I'm sorry _and let her do the rest of the talking. Except this was similar to the first time he acknowledged Korra of his love for her not so long ago. It won't be as hard this time, he just had to do what he stated then. "Truth, truth, truth," he muttered.

Yet one last query remained; Where was she? Korra had been training with Katara the whole day yesterday, but didn't turn up for breakfast this morning. "Have you seen Korra anywhere?"

Master Katara shrugged, "The last time I saw her was at training last night. She's probably still outside, Mako."

The firebender scratched his head which had suddenly produced an itch. This usually happened when he was irritated or just plain annoyed. His feet marched to her room to find it empty. "Korra," he called.

No reply. This time he stepped outdoors and decided to have a morning walk around the compound to see if she was there. Shoving his hands in his pockets to prevent them from growing numb. The red fabric around his neck pulled over his nose. Black parka zipped and buttoned. He sighted a member in their White Lotus uniform. Picking up his pace, he ran up in front of him. "Howl," he said, "Have you seen Korra anywhere?"

Howl turned around, Mako spotting a small scratch on his cheek and bruises on his forehead. "Did someone hurt you? Or..."

The White Lotus member noticed he was talking about the bruises and continued, "My face? Yeah. I know it looks pretty jacked up. But taking care of a bunch of kids is _not _easy."

Mako chuckled, "Trust me, I know."

"Sorry I can't help you in finding Korra. I _finally _got those kids to sleep. But I'm guessing Master Katara would know?"

"Already asked her. Thanks anyway." Mako left him after shaking his hand.

He sidestepped around the corner, exhausted. He covered half of the compound, but was still too tired to cover the other. But something in him urged him to keep going. To find her. He couldn't hold in the guilt of fighting with her. His_ girlfriend, _who he wanted to apologize to Korra this instant. But he wasn't all that surprised to see her sleeping against the wall a few feet away from him. He slowly sat down next to her in the same position-resting his head on his knees and pulling them close. Ambivalently, he attempted to shake her awake. After failing two times, she finally blinked to see him. "Mako?" she said, still very drowsy.

"Hey, sleepyhead. What were you doing out here?"

She rotated her head the other direction and yawned, "I don't know. Katara just had me way all the way out there and when I came back, I was too lazy to get into bed." A pause, "and here I am." With gestures her hands were waving around almost ridiculously.

Mako stared at her in sympathy. Although she may look headstrong, walking long distances without Naga and the rest of her training gave her the reputation of sleeping at any time possible. "Korra. I have to ask you something."

"Me too."

Was she apologizing for their fight, too? "Okay, you go first."

Her eyes were squinted and her arms held out. "Can you take me back to my room?"

He nodded, supporting her and carrying her bridal style. "So I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about that fight we had..."

"Uh huh." She snuggled her head deeper into his chest.

"I know how devastated you were when Naga was captured and with all the pressure, you thought I had more feelings for Mingyu when I defended her. All I want is for you to forgive me."

His hand waved over to the watch tower above, the operator activating the gates. Mako wanted to continue his apology, but he halted when he realized she was asleep. Knowing she probably didn't hear most of his lecture, he shook his head with a grin as he laid her in her bed for what was the second time. Creaking the door slowly shut to not wake her as he exited. Curiously he made his way up the staircase that led to the top of the left watch tower. The operator who had recently opened the gates remained silent when he entered. Other than his presence, the area was empty. Howl had limped off to the infirmary as Mako last recalled. He decided to see why no one could find Korra from the view. Hands gripping to telescope, it was tilted downwards to the end of the wall.

_Sneaky, Korra._ A small roof of snow served as her cover so that her hiding place would resemble camouflaged to the side of the wall. He shrugged it off anyway. Turning the looking device forward and back, he didn't want to waste opportunity to observe the icy land a bit further. Seeking cliffs and dawning clouds. To others the South Pole was a wasteland of the bitter cold. To him it was the small wonders of nature he usually ignored. The way the sun rose being slightly darkened by miniature clouds. How its rays reflected a slight glow to the snow on the environment.

But one thing just stood out. The telescope dropped to his feet with a clank. Hands smoking, anger evident in his eyes. The sight angered him so much that he lost complete focus of the beauty of the tundra. That wasn't something to focus on when a new threat was approaching. He knew because he could be seen with his own eyes. The sudden commotion caught the operator's attention, who took the telescope and tried to piece together what made the firebender so aggravated.

In fact, he saw someone familiar. Someone he never wanted to see again. A person who possessed a rare and raw power that he was hated for it. But lo and behold, there he was, approaching so confidently it nearly made him sick. Mako felt rage. He may have not wanted to see _that _terrible excuse for a person, but he most definitely did want revenge. Now Mako knew how Korra felt. With all the stress and responsibilities with the current war. One little thing out of line could send you into tantrums, only adding to your problems. He wanted to yell. To scream. And that's what he did.


	24. First Assault

_Not easy. _Her finger gently lifted the bandage. Each peel wasn't as painful as it was before, she got used to changing it every night. She just wanted to get it over with. _Riiiiippppp_. A cringe. "At least it isn't waxing," she reminded.

Displeasure took her face. The mark etched into the skin hadn't gotten better, although the blood was impediment. Blood clots were lucky when it came to intense bleeding. She recalled a few days ago when it was uncontrollable. Today it wasn't a bad for a result from razor sharp teeth from a polar bear dog.

For now she just wanted to be alone. Didn't anyone else understand that she's been having a bad week? And yet it always ended up wrong? Tahno was the only other person inside of the underground establishment to accompany her. But Mingyu had already shooed him out to care for herself.

Knowing Tahno, he could talk to her all day. Due to the emptiness of the headquarters, she was able to hear whenever he came down the hallway. Tahno might have been in his own room when no clacking of boots echoed. Her dad on the other hand requested for her to be at the 'special event' taking place. To make it clear, she had already told the Lieutenant she would stay inside for the day. Another short conversation she didn't want to start.

_His tone was unpleasing, "Really? I mean we have this operation coming up. We're planning a major attack in the few weeks. Don't wanna be part of it, huh?" He removed his mask and goggles to reveal his face. Now she could look at him properly, looking at his eyes._

"_No...it's just that-"_

_He playfully ruffled her hair. "I understand. I'm know Amon will, too."_

Amon. Can the leader of this huge cause possibly forgive her for chickening out? Mingyu didn't want to disappoint anyone. Judging from her past missions, she didn't think she could have failed any more. Making her father proud was the cause of the past years of her life. But being an Equalist...more so a _terrorist. _She even wrote the definition for it once to remind herself of its _true_ definition.

_[ter-__uh__-riz-__uh__m] The __calculated use of violence and/or threat in violence against civilians in order to obtain goals that are political, religious or ideological._

Mingyu got the political and ideological stuff. Amon thought benders were oppressing people. But use of violence? Her eyes traveled to her equipment gear hanging above her bedside table. In fact, she considered them decor when she wasn't using them. Weapons...perfect symbolism for this type of violence. She thought once again. Some benders may be oppressing non-benders, but Equalists oppress the innocents. Proof was by the numerous robberies and crimes her colleagues have committed. And so was remaining here, right? Was it right for her? She never knew her head could throb this much.

A thing like stress drove her bonkers every now and then.

* * *

"What the_ fuck_ is he doing here?!" He roared. _**(excuse Mako's profanity)**_

The other man was so confused, "What? Huh? Where?"

Mako sighed. He tilted the looking glass to the blue dot in the distance that was advancing towards the compound. "Who is that?"

"Tarrlok! The former councilman! The _bloodbender!_"

The look on the operator's face was panic-stricken. He spoke into the intercom, clutching it for dear life, "All forces ready. Impending threat approaching. This is not a drill!"

Mako was shaking. Not from fear, but rather from annoyance. He was absolutely discontent about the constant objectives that resulted in someone being badly injured on a normal basis. Normal.

* * *

** Mako's POV:**

More like excessive. But _this_ again? Just the guy to piss me off. No hope for a good outcome when _he _is the main problem.

I looked below the balcony. From up here, everyone appeared like small ants in the snow. Could they hear me? "Guys!" I warned. My arms were waving at them desperately. No use.

My head snapped back to where I was before. The intercom sparked and detached from it's wire and dangled. Wasn't it working just a few minutes ago-? Yes, it was. In my head I tried to piece everything together before it came tumbling down on me again.

_ Straighten this up, Mako. _You've never seen that guard before, and you've talked to every single one of them the past week. Weird, now the intercom's broken. Crap. Sabotage. An Equalist undercover. Why does everything have to happen so suddenly?! It's like the Spirits hate me.

Now I need to help take charge. My hands slid down the metal rail as I ran down the stairs. The staircase was long, winding, and dim. The courtyard was a mess. Sentries scurrying back and forth. Members of the United Forces arguing and in other words, _wasting time. _First Republic City and now, here. These guys are terrible.

But one person caught my eye through the chaos. Raven hair, emerald eyes, unmistakable. "Asami!"

"Oh thank goodness Mako, you're alright."

_Ignore my safety, Asami. Think about everyone else first. _"There's an Equalist spy in here! I'm sure he didn't come alone. Find the rest of them before everyone gets killed!"

"On it," she nodded.

* * *

An unexpected explosion blew up the massive barrier of ice that was now completely melted. That part of the compound was now deemed vulnerable to their attackers.

He longed for his feet to run faster. Every second was a dreaded one. Master Katara's house was a wreck. A complete mess of things. "Kids?" he called out, "Master Katara? Tenzin? Bolin, Pema, anyone!"

** BOOM. **The second strike ached. And he meant that physically. The screams of people outside rung in his ears. He had to help them. Maybe his friends escaped in time. He hoped Korra had, too. _Shit. _Korra was in her room the last time he saw her. Of course she escaped in time. By now, he could see her room was ablaze. Perhaps all the ones missing at the moment were safe and sound.

But he had to know for sure. This wasn't something he could abandon. But something was wrong. The people who were running had just stopped. As if they saw an organism from space. The way their arms and legs twisted wasn't normal. Almost abnormal to watch. Not in this world. Nearly anything was possible here. Unfortunately one of these abnormalities was the infamous art of bloodbending. Tarrlok was near. As were the Equalists. Mako grieved the moment he would see Amon.

Red and white porcelain with no emotion. It was utterly horrifying to victims. "And I'm next," he muttered.

** BOOM.**

The third explosion was the worst. Bodies flew through the air like rag dolls. A small beeping sound dominated all other ones in his head. Copper was a taste in his mouth. Crimson dripped from where a shrapnel had struck him. His stomach was cramping. Veins popped blue. The shade skin turned paler than it already was. A pigment too light to be human.

The firebender growled through his teeth. The gift of flames failed to ignite to his command. Bending rendered useless to him. No bending, walking, punching, or kicking. Sitting there helplessly was all his body agreed to. The most hated feeling; defeat. "The only way to defeat me is to kill me, bastard!

Threads of life were tangling. Becoming thinner and weaker by the second when they were pulled. The more he held back, the worse it became. What more could he do?

_I will not die for nothing. And if I do, the world will see what a real sacrifice is, and what monsters like them can do. But until I die, I'll fight until the end._


	25. Aftermath

_**Blame RE6 for getting my mind all messed up. **_

_***Things are about to get cooking...but could it be better than a Jill **__**Sandwich**__**? A **__**pudding **__**made out of the remains of Carla Radames? Oh, I know! A Derek Simmons **__**shish kabob?* **__**Now that's just nasty. ONWARDS! xP**_

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

"Nothing's gonna happen. Everything will be fine..._.I think._" Ikki would sing just about anything to make herself feel better. "Just pretend it's not happening. It's not happening, not happening, not happening, not happening..." And Ikki's song continued with the same lyrics repeatedly. Knees hugged to her chest to keep her warm against the chilling temperatures of the underground bunker her family and other were hiding in. Rocking herself slowly thinking she was about to go psycho. She clutched her sister's sleeve, "Jinora, please tell me they're okay!"

Korra had stepped out of the underground headquarters minutes ago in search of Mako and Asami. Jinora was smart in choosing her words, "Korra's trying her best, Ikki. Grandpa will help her somehow," She made sure not to mention any acts of violence to prevent Ikki from getting any more concerned. The two girls huddled together against the wall, or else they would get caught up in the commotion of workers, sentries, and other members running about. Almost exactly as the rest had during the courtyard attack.

Within each movement, a shadow passes from the action. "Hey, sis?" Meelo asked.

"Mmhm?"

"Korra said stuff about this ghostie following her around."

"It's nothing, Meelo. Just her imagination, I'm sure."

Ikki jumped from her former sad state, "Ooh! Is it puberty? It's puberty, I'm sure!"

"Alright..." Jinora was high uncomfortable. It was either the sudden conversation or being the mature one to look after her brother and sister.

Underground rooms were definitely not what she wanted. First, they were inconveniently musty. The only breeze came from rushing people through the corridors. And it was not silent, either. You would hear nothing else besides footsteps, screaming, yelling, and the buildings crashing outside. Crashing until they were piles of rubble.

The eldest child sighed. The descendants of the Council haven't said a word to the airbenders in weeks. Mostly because they were kept on close watch and protection under volunteers from the United Forces. Baby Ying and Rohan were the two she was most concerned about. Why would the Spirits be this cruel to put infants at the center of a war outbreak? They did nothing to deserve this. Nothing to the Spirits, and nothing to the Equalists. Jinora played this over and over in her brain until her mind drifted back to what she selfishly desired most. Books.

'_They are very good books,' _she tried to reason with herself.

'_No! How selfish can you be?! You're hiding in a room that's nearly a basement directly underneath a compound that's being BOMBED?! Why, just listen to yourself! You could die any second! Stay alert!'_

The self-convincing was ineffective. Her thinking became darker and darker each time she thought about what she just told herself. What if she died down here? Would it be painful or quick? Would an Equalist separate her from the family and kill her? Imprison her until she died?

"A world full of _ifs_," she glumly mused.

"You know what, Tahno?"

The boy in question rubbed his hands together and applied the gel to his hair giving it's usual, sleek look. "I'm guessing you want to kiss my ass right now."

"What?!"

"I said kick my ass right now." He laughed, "Honey, your listening skills."

This is getting old. I was tired of this. So _fucking T-I-R-E-D of this. _I mean, really? What did he think this was? A game? A TahnoxMingyu flirtfest? Well this crap isn't working on me. Neither will him and his playboy crap. "Just stand guard in the basement."

"Have it your way, princess." he exited the room. _Finally._

Like I was a princess. To me, he would be casted as the douchebag jester. He sure fits for that kind of role. I don't see why not? Jumping around repeatedly in circles wearing a dumbass hat. I can almost visualize it in my head and laugh. But otherwise, I was feeling better. My arm is_ finally _healed, and you can barely tell it was even there. Just a long white mark running along my arm, but that I can handle. That polar-bear dog is gonna regret it, I swear. But one; I'm not a killer. I don't go _that _deep into getting what's deserved. My dad sure would. I may have been raised this way to be an Equalist, but would dad want me to kill?

Any living being? If I had to? I scoffed, "Yeah. Mom would sure be proud if she were here."

But mom was never proud. Just pretending to be, as I recall. I shook it out of my head. _No need for stress. Just attend to your duties._ What did dad say before he left with the others? Oh, he left a note for me in the basement.

I literally had to shove the two of my legs off my bed just to get up. Lazy me.

Korra swept her hair out of her eyes and ran. She wished she had the time to fix them into the three ponytails she usually wore. Her legs weren't even sprinting-more like running and stumbling and tripping...And she could barely remember how her 'morning' started. It all went by so quickly.

"_Hey, sleepyhead." she saw Mako. And he was surrounded by a white gleaming background. "What were you doing out here?"_

_She mumbled something about training and Katara in her sleep. She couldn't hear correctly. But whatever Mako said was something similar to, "Korra, I need to ask you something."_

_Again, she remembered herself saying something almost incoherent. _

And it ended there. Back in reality, her blanket was tucked up to her chin and door closed. Her eyelids were clawed at with an itch. "That was a stupid dream."

Her head and eyes turned in all directions, singling out a question, "How did I get here?" After seconds her room was recognizable due to its darker shade of blue paint and familiar aroma of seal jerky.

The last thing she remembered was walking back to the compound from training. Actually crashing in the house wasn't recalled for. The Avatar slid off the bed, as she could care less that the bedsheets had rustled and fallen to the floor. She only wanted to talk to Mako. _Guess thats what my dream was asking me to do. _And although a majority of dreams are cut off without endings, this one had to be ended. Korra wanted her dream to have a happy ending, no matter how fairytale like it may have seemed.

She was panting now. Tiny glints of sunlight shone in her face. As well as her hair that was now pulled down. It was found easier to have it trail behind instead of leaving them as messed up ponytails drooping to the shoulders.

Both lungs felt dry from the cold air being heavily pumped in and out with every breath. Her caramel colored boots drenched by the melted snow. _Wait,_

Thumping herself on the head was what she wanted to do for being so ignorant. Spun in a circle, she froze in a circle to make herself a snowboard. _This would be __**so **__much easier if Naga were here._ Wind whistled louder than ever before as she blasted herself at full speed to the compound. She didn't pause for a second when she saw the Equalist banner painted above the lower walls. It was however, stained with spots of blood and drooping from three sides, as if never wanting to be hung at all.

Pitch black smoke polluted the air, tinting the atmosphere darker as she approached. In Korra's perspective, the scene was unbelievable. A massive structure reduced to remains and debris. Her hands fanned out the remaining smoke while she coughed twice. "Mako?"

No answer.

"MAAAKKKOOO?"

The faint sound of wheezing and coughing. "K-Korra?"

"Mako! Where are you?"

"J-just follow the sound of m-my voic-ce."

The firebender could hear her crunching footsteps against the snow. "On your left."

Korra took one last opportunity to fan out as she finally escaped the cloud of smoke. "You have no idea what I'd give to airbe-SPIRITS, MAKO! What the hell?"

The first sight was him laying in his own pool of blood. Dripping down his mouth, nose, and arm were the same crimson liquid. "I-it's n-nothing," he lied.

Without thinking, she immediately pulled out her water skin. Mako had trembling hands. His right leg felt like it was paralyzed-since more than a couple of pounds of brash had fallen on it. A shaking finger directed toward the collapsed gate leading into the clearing. "Go." A one syllable word had been enough.

_How can he be this stupid? _"You need medical attention. Now turn over."

"But-"

Korra turned him so he was laying on his stomach. She realized there was more from where the pool of blood was leaking from. "There's a...that...a shrapnel!"

She refused to breathe. But her lungs told her otherwise, forcing her to inhale between gasps and tears and hiccups. A piece of shrapnel digging so deep into your back was shocking. Never had she seen something so serious. But foolish is what she felt like while carefully pulling out the glass piece. Instead of using the pure liquid from her water skin, she got to healing immediately. Water wasn't needed. Her tears had already filled the void of water needed.

The sensation of skin healing was soothing to Mako. He knew that there was no way to help him. No use. "Korr-a," he sniffed, "G-go."

"No."

"You know it's no use." Mako lurched over to spurt out another round of blood from his mouth. "Go h-elp A-asami."

"No!" Korra cried. But Korra had already figured by the healing progress that there wasn't any use. Healers like her possessed the ability to calculate the percentage of life left or their chance of surviving. The number was 29%, and vice versa for chance of survival.

"Korra." A soft tone eased the tension. Soft amber eyes bore into her cerulean and tear filled oases. "If-f you love m-me, you would leave an-nd help As-sami."

On the brink of unwillingness and reluctance, her legs straightened and she stood. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Mako seconds prior death. _This is it,_ she thought. Leaning down for a soft kiss. "Spirits bless you, Mako."

_**Next chapter up around next week? Drop a review and don't hate...there's a lot more to this story and this is just part one. Parts 2 and 3 aren't even near yet so prepare! :P**_


	26. Escape

_**Plain truth, no excuses, done.**_

_**-One.**__** I promise I'll re-edit once a few future chappies are finished so that you can catch up, and I can have time to go over chapters.**_

_**-Two. **__**Think I haven't noticed? Members of the Council aren't taking ANY action and/or dialogue-yet I only mention them as 'silent prisoners being held captive' in each chapter so that I can drag them along with the plot. That'll be changed.**_

_**-Three.**__** Delete some overuse of profanity because they're unnecessary. And just because a character curses, doesn't mean it describes their feelings and reactions any better. Slight cussing. Not as much.**_

_**-Four.**__** Lack of description and understanding you are receiving. First chapters are based from the first few LOK episodes. After that it's all me coming up with the story. And this counts as my confirmation of an upcoming trilogy, split up into three parts- and they won't be published as separate stories. To those confused, this is still part 1.**_

_**Part 1 will be called COMPLICATION. Part 2 will be a title from the poll. Part 3 will be called JESTER. I'll also be putting the Last Time On Finally Together...(so, so, and so happened so you'll be reminded)**_

_**-Five.**__** Still being honest. I'm editing from the VERY FIRST chapter up to this one. Yet, I have no idea when or how often I can update, so hang in there.!**_

_**Thank you for taking the time to go over this interruption of an author's notice. This AN will be deleted once part 1's finished :)**_

_**-Fuschiaphoenix**_

"AGH!" Uncontrollably his arms and knees shook as he crumpled to the ground. A green fabric fluttered like a leaf until it touched

His attacker huffed, wiping her damp brow with her sleeve. "No use for that anymore," she remarked. "Oh hello..." her eyes wandered to the equipment the Equalist left behind. In other words, weapons she was desperately in need of.

My old glove is junk. Complete garbage. I mean, how could this happen? Electrocuting people with that thing was my favorite form of self defense! Flexible, quick, and efficient. Now it's only a hand-shaped material with blue and black wires sticking out of it. But the weapons he dropped...are so much better.

I carefully picked each one up. _Very. Steadily. _Another glove, two of them. I'd say that my dad-no. _Hiroshi_, has done a good job with these, actually. Ironic when you think about it. How I use his own weapons to backfire him. I don't need him. I don't want him as a father. _Terrorist._ I still don't understand how I could be living under the roof of a terrorist all these years. And how we could even share the last name.

_Sato. _

Asami Sato. Non-bender, only daughter of the infamous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato.

_Sato. _

Nope. Not even an ounce of pride of that anymore.

Korra was so exhausted that she wanted to fa. But she wouldn't. She's been out of this fight long enough. Her sight lingered to what used to be a huge wall that was _supposed_ to be protecting the compound. Walls of fury reduced to broken and slushed ice. But it wasn't just her hands burning from the cold or boots sinking into the snow. It was her forehead that ached now.

The residue of guilt embarking on an untold journey to build up and break her down from the inside. She felt like the personification of failure. She left Mako to _die_. Had _Avatar _left an injured person in time of need during a battle? Korra spat at the ground. She might not have said it, but merely stating it in her brain disgusted her. But her first objective; to do what every Avatar's supposed to.

Her feet skidded to a halt, splashing slush of snow in her face. "Is that...?"

The raven hair and dark overcoat was unmistakable. "Asami!"

Korra quickly regretted this for two reasons; it may have seemed desolate-like the Equalists have retreated, but she was sure that wasn't the case. Second, it just felt awkward.  
Korra had found Asami at Mako's last request, and she _was _going to help. But if it wasn't for Asami, Mako would have let Korra at least stay with him. But the heiress turned around, "Korra! Korra!" first looking frantically for any other Equalists, Asami ran so fast she skidded to a halt. Korra didn't look at all excited to see her. The Water Tribe girl's head was hung low-and most importantly, avoiding eye contact.

The awkward finally shifted, "Korra, what's wrong? Did something happen?

"Mako...he..." she paused and covered her mouth with the tip of her finger. She shifted the conversation to a walk and talk when she silently strolled towards the front of the compound. Asami nearly stumbled over rubble attempting to follow. She completely ignored the Equalist machinery along the shoreline.

"Korra. Tell me. **Now.**"

"Let's just say that we practically asked for the worst, and we got it." She had to choke back a sob. Yet she was still calmly strolling towards the shoreline. Dangerously _close_.

Asami fell to her knees and grabbed her raven locks. She now knew the true effects of what the Equalists could do. But she never expected for them to drop down to this level. She never wanted to hand it to them, but they proved to be_ true_ terrorists. A small meaningful prayer, "Rest in peace, Mako. I hope you get what you want." Salt water dripped down her eyelashes, "You can finally be with your parents."

"W-was he..." she stood, "_gone_ when you found him?"

The girl questioned carelessly stomped atop the intricate gold and blue carvings on the gate that laid flat on the ground. Besides the footsteps, the air was still questionably silent.

Somewhere back in Republic City, a young woman went over the list her father had given her. Flicking a worn out pencil between her fingers, she strolled down a narrow corridor.

'_weapon testing_.'

Check.

'_sort out room keys'_

The keyrings jingled and swung around her finger. Check.

'_prison and guard duty'_

A side note_; Get rid of the Avatar's pet._

There was a slight pit in her stomach mentioning the polar bear dog she hasn't had sight of in a _week._ But the box next to the task on her clipboard was unmarked.

…_.._

Not sure.

"Hey...Tahno? Tahno!" she called.

No answer.

She mused, '_You've gotta be kidding me,'_

But if anything she learned to complete tasks by herself when it's _absolutely necessary._ She shrugged. Mingyu rendered it useful to just get it over with, anyway.

A few footsteps and a turn around the corner, "Tahno!"

Silence.

'_Mysterious weirdo. If he wants me to do all the chores, then all he has to do is just say so,'_

Her fingers flipped over key after key until she found the chipped bronze one. She exhaled, twisting the doorknob. Mingyu scratched her left brow and tried again-one hand on the doorknob and her shoulder to the door. She tried once. Crashing sounds from the other side, but nothing. Another time. The door creaked open by an inch.

A small sliver of light peeked through. "What's going on?" A woman called from the other side.

The Equalist was aggravated. Mingyu yelled, "What do you think is going on?! The door won't budge! Open it now!"

Silently scolding herself, Mingyu knew that it wouldn't happen either way. _Clang!_ She could tell that the cell doors already broke loose. Now she was in trouble. "Hey!"

On instinct, Mingyu slammed her boot against the rusty hinges. Not much progress, but she continued. How she wish she could just burn the door down with a flamethrower-which would just ruin the Equalist base and other rooms surrounding it. She wished she had equipped a crowbar which Tahno brought along with him to fix the shed-

Her thinking was on pause, then played forward. Tahno had been gone for _6 hours_. Mingyu had been wondering if he was on another 'assignment' or whatever else. Second, it wouldn't take even the slowest person to open a shed with a crowbar on the other side of the base. There was a small window in the room, their way of escape. And just when Mingyu had finally caught them and pieced everything together, she lost. _Criiinnnggg. _The sound of the window latch unlocking. Freedom.

…...

Her fingers were too close to her head. She could rip her hair out.

Her nails were too close to her face. She could peel her skin off. And now, she's had enough. She was done. But anything related to suicide was definitely not the answer.

_**I'll be proof reading and changing chapters 1-3 over the week.**_


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